#rivervale_lodge

A happy sigh.

"See, it can actually take a lot longer, so we got lucky, but dreamers are... well, precious. You coax... you can't rip it out of them or you damage their ability to make more, risk kiling the golden goose that lays the eggs to use a metaphor... that would be ravaging. RIght to dream is agin that. What you did was a proper muse. And made a better world after too"

SIv says "Let's head back home, folks will worry"

"Kerri did promise victory brownies..."

"She did" A thoughtful sigh "And I need to apologize to her too, but...aye. My dad is gonna be so proud of you when he hears about your musing that good lady, he might even move his lips into a smile! Jaymes too I bet." SIv motions her to follow "That, PLUS brownies. Great day"

"Jaymes smiles all the time, yo..."

"Not for me he doesn't" She says "one time I thought I saw him smile, but he told me it was gas. " nudge and light tease as they move on towards home, in victory!

(End Scene)

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"So you're saying, " Olgar says after his wife's half hour long (And fully justified) rant "That Siv was being a brat."

A sigh and a pause. "I wouldn't say that. At least...not in front of her parents."

"If it comes up tell them I read too much into it" Wryly "Can't say I care for her trying to play the martyr card... good catch on her there..'ban her'" A snort "But Siv seems to think she's in some sort of moral right or she'd not normally talk like that to you. Problem is, moral right don't mean she can banish people even unofficially. So she either needed to let it go or bring it up fully. She didn't. She's a nice young lady, but Fenris's fangs she does not look before she leaps. And there you are with that big net you keep open for everyone." He moves behind her and starts to massage her shoulders "You okay? "

"I can't say I read too much into it, Olgar. The Chieftain will know better. And...she needs to know. If Siv's going around pretending to an authority she doesn't have, gatekeeping who can and can't have access to her parents, then...ohhh....oh, ahhh....that's....thank you...." Another sigh, then more quietly, "She can't keep acting like this. It's the same as with the Kestrel."

"It was samhain" he reminds

"It wasn't Samhain the first time she took the Kestrel."

"...and it's not Samhain today, and she still tried to justify it."

"I mean, justify the thing with Tiffany...."she trails off, her shoulders gradually loosening.

"Nope" He agrees. "It wasn't." Strong hands applied in a mix of firmness and gentility "Siv's been in a foul mood since Samhain, and more than that, avoiding folks. I heard the Chief muttering about how the girl doesn't talk about school. That's not atypical, but Siv's not just saying fine, she's avoiding the elders which am us more than usual. She's got a secret and she's afraid she's gonna slip it. I'm nt one of the 'big three' so she drops her guard around me"

"Well, her attention is wrapped up with Thane Bancroft. Maybe that's it." A pause, then another sigh. "I should try to pry into that a bit, but right now I don't much feel like helping her."

"Then don't. Want me to talk to her for you? Maybe a blunt instrument of 'what the hell' comes better from me?"

An indecisive moment. "I don't like pawning my concerns off on you to manage, Olgar...."

"Through sickness and health, for better or worse.... remember the traditional stuff you insisted on? I mean, minus the obey. We both knew that was a lost cause on either side" A chuckle and rubs "Your not pawning your concerns when I help, baby. We just team working. I tried the lone bad ass routine, loved the jacket, but I wasn't as effective as I thought I was. You might recall more than once you've come to MY aid?"

He coaxes a brief laugh from her. "Yes, but that's because you're the delicate flower, and I'm the badass, remember?" She rests her hands atop his and gives a squeeze. "Thank you. You might do better than I could right now." A pause. "And Sylvi's definitely revving up to give us more of the same sort of behavior, you know."

"Never doubted" Then a sigh "Sylvi's a sweet heart but she's got your brains and my need to test limits. But at the same time, I think Cheerleeading is good for her. She's got natural leadership qualities, that's a place to let her come to term with them for good or ill in a way that won't get her killed. I hope"

"Well, she has her own sidhe issues, now."

"yeah" His brow knits "I'm thinking the trip to alaska might have been a good thing. I'm not crazy about the system, but Snowmantle seems like a better noble than a lot of Sidhe lords. She needs some good examples to hone down any resentment. Now Nadeen is here and ... well, our daughter isn't used to how sidhe can draw all the light away in a room to them. "

"She was definitely positive about Baron Idris. That was a relief...I was worried she was going to go up there and try to start a revolution."

"Vali made a good recommendation" Olgar admits "Not that I'd tell him. " A bit of a chuckle at the starting a revolution bit "Yeah, she might. Wrong that I'm ind of proud of the idea she might pull one off?"

She shakes her head. "La la la, I'm not listening to you." But he can hear the grin in her tone.

A deep laugh escapes and he playfully switches massage to light tickle "I love you, babe. But you told me yourself that we're going to have to trust her."

A bit of a yelp before she grabs his hands to immobilize them. "Not fair using my words against me, you!"

Immobilized at the hands, he smiles wolfishly "You knew I was a rule breaker when you met me" A kiss to her cheek, "And you half tamed me anyway. " Then he lays a kiss on her lips, savoring for a bit, before parting "Are you having trouble getting through to Sylvi any lately? I know it sucks, but sometimes it's a coin toss on which one of us she'll listen to. If it's my turn up, let me know and I'll talk to her, I promise it'll even be NOT about boys unless she brings it up first."

She returns a wolfish smile of her own, and lingers in the kiss which makes more of the stress go away. "She hasn't been difficult exactly...but I think she's angry about Nadeen. Not the same way Dagmar is, but...well, I think it must have been a violent thing to witness."

"...and then to have the girl steal the limelight as well..."

"I'll talk to her about it. I think maybe I can help"

"Oh? You have clever insight, Rover?"

"I got layers of depth" wryly "Also, I've seen it. Sidhe arriving. Isn't common, but when you're walking the trods" A shrug

"Yes...." Her teasing tone vanishes. "I wish she hadn't had to see it. Especially not with a classmate, a teammate." A deep breath. "Still...I'm glad she kept her head about her, let us know what was happening."

A nod "That's what I think happened. Our little girl kepth er head, and she shared her report, in a fashion a good scout. but...she's not shared how she FEELS about it. probably because the last thing Dagmar needed was someone else freaking out. I think our little girl needs her dad to listen to her rant for a bit."

She looks at him for a long quiet moment, then nods. "I can't really be the one, can I? Because I'll have to be 'reasonable' about it."

He frowns, "not how i would word it. Heck, maybe you sharing some of your own troubles when you think she's ready for them would be a good thing for you both. But I think I'm...how do I ssay this? I don't expect the world to be kind or honorable. Sylvi still does sometimes. And that's a good thing, it means she wants to make it better when some things I've given up on. But it allows me to take her load on a bit easier than it might be for you. It's not that you wouldn't be reasonable, baby, it's because you're a bit of an idealist too. We both want to protect her, but my cyncism gives me an armor. Not one I reccomend by the way, it chafes me. I taught her pride, you taught her idealism. Okay, not that simple, but you get the gist?"

Another nod. "I get it. And you're right, I think. In a way. I'm just...well, you know how it is. I hate that part of our world, but I find myself working inside the system, and alongside the Chieftain, and...it's frustrating. It's a tightrope act." A pause. "I think Frank has to juggle those feelings, too. Oh, this thing with Bancroft and Siv must be eating at him."

"You do know Sidhe boy is a Not noble right?" Wryly "Sylvi is dating the guy with a title. Not Siv"

"True. And Changeling way, from what I hear. So...yes. Easier for Frank. As for Colton...I still sometimes wonder how he won her over. They seem to be getting more serious."

"Ha! You don't like him either? Ohh this is great, we can resent Sylvi's boyfriend together"

Olgar MIGHT be joking

"Oh, no, I think he's a fine young man. I think he used to get a bit full of himself... but maybe he's maturing out of that? No, I'm just not sure how she got over her anti-nobility bent enough to give him a chance."

"Fair point," he says then , begrudgingly "Maybe it's because he is a troll not a sidhe? Maybe he done something right. Maybe they learned couples sometimes disagree. Remember that movie we agreed never to discuss again because one of us loves it, the other hates it? "

A bemused look. "Which one?"

"I'm not falling for that trap" he says wryly "It'll set me off on a rant. my point is, maybe she's maturing emotionally more than we realize?"