#rivervale_lodge

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"Are asking to die, Dirk? Is that what you're doing? Asking to die?" Gonzalez snaps at the idiot, "Lately I am really on the edge here."

Dirk rolls his eyes. how did she not find the waggling eyebrows attractive? Fine, "You're angry lately? big whoop. I been angry every day of my life when I'm not.. " How does one say hungry "Point is I knoww you wanna go. May's going, Sam's going. You wanna go. FOMO right? well.. just ask me out an you got a way in, I got a date."

She rattles off in Spanish several words, fortunately he knows a few of the dirty ones.

"Yeah yah, your lips say my mother fucks dogs.. not true by the way, dogs don't have drugs so she's not interested. But do I hear a yes in there? I only know the dirty words" He says

"Why do you even want to go?" Gonzalez says in exasperation

Dirk sighs "I don't know. Okay? Look...nobody ever gave a shit for me before. Okay? Suddenly I got people doing nice things and I don't understand their angle exactly. Got this Chinese family taking me in..."

"They're Korean, and you LIVE wit hthem how can you forget that?" Gonzalez says

"Whatever... they take me in, they treat me nice. But they didn't sstart it.. this other lady ..she's like ..kind of in charge behind the scenes, like a crime lord, only the crime lord is Mr. Rogers with a club... or something... she took a chance on me, made it possible. And all the folks in her 'gang' " He makes air quotes "Are supporting mee, and I don't know what the fuck the angle is except i know it's better than what i had and I don't want to lose it. Okay? But i an't tell them that or they'll know they got me by the short hairs. So I want to still be WITH them now and then, but I don't want them to know they've got me ..hooked o... on whateveer this is."

Gonzalez stares at the moron, "What this is? you mean...friendship and belonging?"

"I'm not gay" He states, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, you know, in case you wanted to date a girl. I just...yeah I guess. This lady was cool to me. Andd others are cool too and I ...I can go it alone. I'm like a cool loner kid. Bad ass. It's just, it's easier being alone with people, you know?"

"what lady I.. this makes no sense? Look, I probably shouldn't go, I've been really...tense lately" Gonzalez says "And if you say I'm getting a visit from my Aunt Irma I will gut you."

the redcap would never say a girl was getting a visit from her Aunt Irma. He would use the more classic term 'On the rag' but some part of his brain tells him this is not the time to correct. Also, he kind of has to admit a girl threatening to gut you is almost..sexy? weird.

"Okay. I won't." he shrugs "but you wanna go, know how i know? because otherwise I would't have had yo ulisten to me THIS long"

"You're an asshole" she says in English

"Yeah" he nods, "So you wanna ask me or not?"

"fine...but only because I'm not in my right mind right now aand I'll probably ignore you and hang around Sam and May if they're cool with that."

"Whatever" he says

"Also, you will dress nice, maybe a suit..."

"What the fuck?" he says " A suit? why, no one died"

"Or I wont' ask you" she growls

"Okay, okay.. geez I'll find one...." he says

"And ditch the shoes." She eyes the red things

"the shoes stay" he glares

"Okay, Fine" she says "but the rest ..all 'this' " A circular motion over his entire body "gets bathed, and dressed classy. Deal?"

"Yeah yeah.." he says "So, ask."

Gonzalez takes a breath then, "Hey, Dirk. 'Do you want to go to the Sadie Hawkins Dance'?"

Dirk tilts his head

then tilts in the other way

the little Latina imagines grabbing him by the jaw and ripping his head off like a broken pez despenser. It's a surprisingly easy visual to imagine right now. "well?"

"Yeah, sure," He shrugs "I got nothing better to do."

"I'll pick you up at 6:30, do not keep me waiting, and wear a tie. " she storms off, wondering why she's been sweating so much lately.

Dirk watches her go. And it registers what she said, he calls out "Clip ons are okay right???"

No response.

.........................

Gerd sighs looking outside.

"Bored." She tells Edelweiss. "There is nothing to do, and I am bored. Even the snow is slushy now. Icky and ooky, and there is nothing to do."

Gerd sighs "The wilders are doing dance stufff soon. And the grumps are ..grumping. And Connor is.. i don't know where Connor is. I think Sally Mae tried to give him a bath and he is hiding."

"Siv gets to save a day. like, litterally. And Dagmar is like... punching Devils and slapping em. And Sylvi is like taking on ravagers.. rarrr."

"But what do I get? Uncle Vali barely has time to tell me stories anymore cuz he's making sure he's got lesson plans"

A pet on the dog "I shall practice being forlorn and all wilder like. whoa, whoa is me."

Edelweiss chooses that moment to pop up, and lick Gerd right in the right ear.

Gerd laughs and goes "ewww" and laughs some more.

Then falls into a hug with the dog her feeling sorry for herself forgotten.

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