#rivervale_lodge

"Ok, well.... how do I do that? I mean.... I tried to help with the crab, and the old lady thing I really -did- get some whacks in.... but.... trustworthy? Like... reliable?"

"Mmm. Like - loyal. That you will look out for us?"

"Well hell yes!" Slightly afronted. " 'Course!"

"Well, Chief doesn't believe that yet."

"I don't get why. They were so nice to me, and I was way worse than you..."

Adam blinks at her. "What the hell kind of friends does she have, that don't look put for her??"

"I don't understand. Everyone at the Lodge is decent."

" Well yeah. But she doesn't think I'll be loyal and watch out for my friends, so what kind of friends is she used to?"

"I don't know!"

"I don't get why you can't just come like everybody else!"

He shakes his head. "Well. Guess we'll see. Want another bite?" He offers.

"I'm good, but thanks."

He nods. "Wonder what I could do to show her I'm cool....?"

"Right? I don't know."

"What is she into?"

"Um. Norway. Wood carving."

A long pause. "That's it?"

"Well. She's the Chief. She has the lodge to protect, and the forest to guard, and everything..."

"I dunno if she has a lot of time for hobbies."

"Plus, I mean, she's the Chief."

"So maybe if I helped with that? Guarding and stuff?"

"Maybe." A gusty sigh. "I don't know."

"It doesn't seem fair."

Adam's cheerful demeanour fades a bit. "Yeah, I'm.... ya know, trying not to get hung up on the stuff I can't do."

"Well, I mean, we just need to show... somehow... you're okay? Sally Mae is fine, she's in the middle of everything..."

"Does -she- have a boyfriend?"

Blink.

"Um. No?"

His grin is back. "Cool."

Dagmar is purple again.

"That's you blushing, Right? It's cute."

"I... what? I.. uh..."

"You're cute when you blush. Well, not just then...." He finishes his ice cream.

"Um." Still purple.

"..Thank you?" Uncertainly.

"Welcome!"

A little shrug and she stirs up her ice cream.

Adam seems content to wait for her to finish.

"...Maybe you could do a quest?"

"We could talk to Chief, see what it'd take..."

"We could? Yeah, hell yeah... Now?"

"Um."

His face falls. "Oh yeah. Not allowed at the Lodge."

"Right?" Scuff. "Dumb."

"Maybe you could call?"

"Dunno..."

bzzt Chief, can we talk about when/how Adam can come to big house?

After some minutes (during some of which she can see the dancing dots of a slow texter), the reply comes: bzzt Is he in need of aid?

bzzt No

bzzt But there should be some way for him to show he's ok?