#rivervale_lodge

"Well, you were mad."

"I get surly, plenty."

"Thanks. I guess, well, I'm bound the kestrel" A pause " Ithink I made it head home without me."

"without US" she adds surprised at herself

"Crap. Best not tell mom and dad they can do that. "

"Why?"

"Because it's tied to them too and I don't want them yanking me home when I'm not ready go back" A sour face

"Well - YOU can send it. Does it mean they can? You were born on it, right?"

"True, but I think it woudl be vanity to say I'm more tied to it, per se. Still, ye might be right" she looks at Dagmar "Now, onto more important things I might not have said enough about. The game. I know you won, got two shots in. How'd May do? Less worried about Gonzalez"

"Gonzalez was fine. May didn't score any, but she's a good guard. Tall!"

"I mean, we might not play at all on the second, we're only freshmen."

"I know, I'm glad you got in your chance, and sorry I wasn't there. Gymnastics is ...interesting"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I was told I was too tall, and a bit busty to be a great gymnist? But I'm kicking ass on walking the balance beam and feeling right smug you know? ALso good at tumbling. But there's ..well, some cold folk who try to wear me down..and I don't handle banalty well. theyr'e not die hard autumn people or anything, but I don't want to tell mom or dad, they'd yank me out. There's this one girl, I swear she's as short as a boggan only a wee little thing? She's got the ribbon dancing down, darts like a Never Fairly trailing..she's okay, but I do envy that. Not many boys to flirt with" Wry

"Is the short one mean?"

"I mean, you have any friends on the team?"

A smile "Well, many seem to LIKE me, I'm a likable person, not as much as Sylvi, man when she's on she can get a cult going... but a few might be my friend"

"Friends matter. You can put up with some jerks with friends."

"You think I should get to know some of the team better outside of practice?"

"And, well - so what if you aren't going to go to the olympics? None of them are, neither. I saw a movie about the one girl? Simone? And basically ANY of them, they have to give up school, give up everything, just to train..."

"Mmm I know it sounds arrogant, but I've got more important things than the olympics to worry about"

She nods. "I hang out with May and Gonzalez. Sometimes... sometimes, hanging out with May is as good as the fire. Especially when I can make her feel better."

"She's a dreamer thanks to you" A pleased look "Have you told me dad? He'd be impressed with you musing"

"I... that's musing?"

"oh shoot, you weren't taught that?"

"I'm not... " She frowns. "I thought it was making artists make stuff... like, getting the ideas for writing, or something?"

"Creative stuff."

"Oh it can be, often is, but you can help folks by bringing out the positive... creating hope, fostering trust, inspiring folks to chase their own dreams. There's more ways too. Come on... want lessons?"

"...I guess? We've talked about it, I mean - I just thought it'd be more... on purpose?"

"Well, maybe I'm reading you wrong, but it sure sounds like if your'e doing it, it's close. Come on" She grabs her jacket "Let's go among the sons of adam and the daughters of eve and see what we can see"

"Well... okay?" Amiably enough.

"Great, speaking of jackets, I like yours. That new?"

"Jaymes got it!" She turns, showing it off.

"I love the patch and I'm not even that big a thor fan. IT's bad ass."

"Tove sewed it on..." And out they go.

Musing is a slow tedious process, but as they say, you gotta start somewhere and the older girl will show what she knows of how to begin...

(End Scene)

********************

The storm that came through rather unexpectedly dumped several inches of snow on the county a few days ago, and it's not entirely gone yet. The Chieftain pulls on her boots and crunches out into the snow, en route to the home of a certain boggan and her younger fae charges (plus husband).

Onward she travels, the brisk air that makes some others chill is a welcome friend to her. Her dreams are of fjords and white topped trees, and perhaps in other lands winter is associated with the unseelie, but Beauty is life certainly applies to the growing cold here.

A satisfied expression...not quite a grin, perhaps, but a pleased crinkling about the eyes...as she crunches along. It was a day much like this, she recalls, that her own dreamdance began. A very long time ago. But the thought makes her hum a bit to herself as she walks. And eventually she finds herself approaching the door, and giving a knock.

A door opens and Anne Marie smiles "Welcome, welcome. My husband is out so we can 'talk shop' as needed"

"Good, and thank you." She sets the bow saw she's been carrying outside the door and enters, being careful to wipe her feet. "How go things here?"

"Well, Dirk is furious, apparently someone dye colored his shampoo pink"

"But I'm pretty sure it wasn't Symon"

A blink. "Pink? That must be...." she searches for the right word "...striking."

"I hope Symon would have better sense than to do such a thing to a redcap who knows where he sleeps."

"Exactly, my Symon can be trouble, but he's rarely dim or self destructive" She sighs "Oh please, come in, come in. I'll get some coffee for you. Black right?"

"Yes, thank you." She follows the boggan, feeling awkwardly massive in the more compact home. "If Dirk is angry, is he controlling himself?"

"My husband had a talk with him. I was actually surprised by that but there you go." A pause "You may need to duck a bit as we get into the kitchen but once you're in it's fine."