#rivervale_lodge

Before dinner some night not too long after having his phone returned but still being on Ann Marie's shitlist, Symon sits at the table, rubbing his head. He takes a long breath, then tries again. Pointing to the problem on the remedial algebra sheet in front of him and Dirk, he suddenly scratches off the details about "If Jane spent $42 on shoes and 4 times as much on a blouse" nonesense, and asks the redcap, "The fridge has 2 steaks. When Ann Marie goes shopping, she's going to get 3 times as many steaks. How many steaks will you get for dinner after she goes shopping?" Noting down this as:

Steak = 2

steak x 3 = dinner

How many are for dinner?

"All of em" A grunt

"Yeah, but how many is that? You need to know how many there are, otherwise some damn pooka might sneak in and steal one and you'd not know it was missing."

"Not if the pooka wants to live" A snort

"Just give it a try." He encourages, and then offers, "Dad said he was grilling tonight. I'll give you my steak." Nevermind that he was only going to pick at it at best, even if he does have teeth enough for mortal meat... "If you can get this one."

"Fine fine..like I couldn't take it.." His brow knits "oh six?"

He rubs his head. "No... you have to consider..." A pause. Blink. "I mean, yeah. Awesome."

"Cus I'd eat the first two while she's gone. Then she'd get like 6 more. So 2 for lunch, 6 for dinner?

And he drops his head to the table, letting it thump lightly.

"Well, good enough. I mean, it's still right." He grins over at him.

"Yeah" Begrudingly "Steaks make more sense than shoes anyway"

He sends a quick text to Ann Marie "Redcap math. don't ask. Can you get steak for dinner? Lots."

Moves on to the next question... more scribbling. "If Jimmy is fencing tickets to the rock concert for $25, and Lucita buys 4 for her and her friends, but then you shake down Jimmy for the money, how much did you make?"

And so on, continues the math lesson, Redcap style, through until Steaks arrive... hopefully.

Dirk has trouble grasping why he can't shake Lucita down too and then resell the tickets himself, just going after one target seems small. But when its explained that Dagmar would PUNCH just take the tickets back from him, he grouses, complains "She probably would" and accepts the problems limitations.

Anne Marie responds we'll see which does not sound as hopeful as he'd like.

Dirk appears to be learning though.

(End scene)

**********

Connor wanders through the lodge, in search of Kerri...

Maybe she's in the kitchen. Not there... hmm. Maybe she's hiding in the fridge. Behind the deli meat, perhaps.

If someone were to remove some of it, he could find her.

Gerd can be heard in the bathroom. She was told she got make up wrong, and every troll knows that means PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

He grabs a couple of string cheese sticks, wraps salami around each, and pads over to knock at the door. "Gerb? You wan sobe cheed end slimy?" Chew chew.

"huh? Uhm.. no. I'm fine." What's THIS do?

"Whacha doimb?" A soft thud as he leans against the door. "I need cookies, and I can't find Kerri."

"Oh..sec. I know where some are." She comes out with green smears over her eyes , they look a bit like bat wings for your FACE.

"Oh don't make a mess, Connor. Here, she keeps them up here. " She flies up and gets a large jar

"Oh, not those ones. I need gingiey mens." He nods somberly and 'walks' his fingers across the counter.

"Wow. Are you going to play football?" He tilts his head at her. "But they do the lines under their eyes."

"Oh. I don't think she has any...wait, did I do the mass-scare you wrong?"

"Am I supposed to be scared? Oh, it's halloween makeups? Are you a zombie? It's GOOD zombie." He wags his tail tentatively. "Oh, that's okay. I can go look for some. I need..." He flicks up fingers, mouth moving a bit as he calculates. "Eleventy."

Gerd sighs at something "sometimes I worry I'll never get anything right on my own." She pulls out a few sugar cookies and lays them down anyway.

Then she puts the jar back up. "I gotta wipe my face." How one can slump while flying? She manages

"Wait, wait." He sticks a cookie in his pocket, then waves her down. "You do me. It's easier if you can see it, right? Practice on me and then you can get better." A nod.

She gives him a hug "You're so nice. No. .It's okay."

then "you wanna go make a snow man?"

"Yeah!" He wags his tail vigorously, and runs out to get soggy!

She smiles, wipes her face, sighs, and then goes out "If we have enough snow we can make a snow troll" (End scene)