#rivervale_lodge

Siv says "I'll take care of things here, mom and clean up. have fun on the patrol"

She means mostly cleaning, under Kerri's direction.

A look to Siv, and another nod...and she is gone.

"Yes'm"

"Take him to the sparring area, Dagmar. Show him our practice weapon collection. He'll get a kick out of it" Siv suggests

And I will calm myself down Adam for making my mother upset she does not frown or show it yet. SHe's not a planner, but she's learning the value of cooling her heels first.

Dag does take Adam out to the salle... and the Stable.

"Wow...... hey, Sam, thanks for sticking up for me."

Shrug. "You're my friend. Now, why don't you try out the guard poses with this weapon..."

And she probably works him until he's dripping sweat.

----------later...-------

While Dagmar is away, Siv does seek Adam out.

Adam is wiping down and enjoy a glass of Kerri's lemonade.

"Adam, do you have a moment?" Siv says

"Sure, Siv!" He grins. "Thanks for sticking up for me. Want a lemonade?"

"I'm good.. and I wouldn't have said things in or against your defense if they weren't true. That said..." She tilts her head, "You do baffle me a bit."

"Yeah?" Another grin. "How?"

"I'm not sure you'd take it right if I told you" She says.

"Oh? Uh.... Well. I mean.... is it in a good way or a bad way?"

"if a girl were to.. you know, date you? Maybe let you kiss a bit... play around... " She wets her lips "Liked dancing with you..."

"Yeah?" It seems like the answer is 'A good way'. "Adam moves closer.

"And... she didn't want to... go all the way" She runs fingers along his chest, "not.. not right away in the first two weeks certainly, it would take her awhile to be sure of you...would you understand her wanting to wait? WOuld you... respect it?"

"Yeah, Siv absolutely!" He slides a hand onto her hip.

"You sure you wouldn't say to me that my caution was cruel or mean just because I wanted to take time to know you?" A raised brow

"No, Siv, no! I could totally respect that." He assures her.

"What a guy..." She almost presses against him then, takes his hand off her hip, and backs up "So how is it 'cruel' or 'mean' for the Chieftain, who is sworn to uphold secrecy to protect us all, to not just let you have everything you want right away?" She gazes at him. "I'd really like to know."

"Huh?" She shifted paradigms on him without a clutch. His brain has jammed.

"I took the liberty of looking up the words Cruel in a dictionary..." SHe reaches over to a book "Mom and dad aren't internet folks by nature. " And opens it where she has a bookmark

"Siv, I don't want to make out with your -Mom-!!" He blurts horrified.

"Good thing... first, she'd never do that to my dad... second... well, after wards you'd be dead," She says "But you should realize that is not what I am talking about. Let's see..cruel adjective" She reads "1 : disposed to inflict pain or suffering : devoid of humane feelings
a cruel tyrant
has a cruel heart" Siv glances over "Well that's not the Chieftain." She reads on "2a : causing or conducive to injury, grief, or pain
a cruel joke
a cruel twist of fate" The troll girl ponders "You seem to be hurt in your feelings, but you just established that a girl not jumping right into the sake with you isn't cruel so.. clearly waiting a mere few weeks can't be that painful" Siv continues "AH, here we are...maybe...
b : unrelieved by leniency
cruel punishment" She taps her finger "But, you're not being punished... you're not having anything taken away. You're just not GETTING as much as fast as you want. Sure, you don't need us to see... but we've told you a lot. Lessons in fighting ... some of us are even trying to be your friends. "

"I looked up mean, it doesn't really fit either, even the part that might be equated with stinginess... because that glamour going through you ? That wasn't from no one." Siv tilts her head.

Her tone is not harsh, not vicious. In fact it is quite measured, stoic.

Adam is staring at her, trying to figure out where the situation got away from him and not realizing he never had control of it....

".........What?"

"I think you're a fine boy. And I realize that you're feeling a lot of what I felt a year ago..albeit in a different way. I think you have under it all, a good heart, and that you don't want to hurt anyone. Am I right on that?"

"Boy!?!?"

"I mean.... no, no I don't want to hurt anyone, I keep saying that!"

"Don't. yell." A calm Kerri look, and ignoring his protest of boy, "And I believe you. I just wish you extended the same courtesy of believing others when they say they're not trying to hurt you . I wish you'd be at least as patient charging into our world as you would be charging into a pretty girl's pants."

He flushes. "That's not what I was doing, Siv....." his tone is softly pleading. He steps closer again. "I believe you. I do!"

"But you don't believe my mom. Do you know how close that is to calling my mother a liar?... or incompetent. I can assure you, she's neither. I saw you fight... you need practice, but you're very brave in the face of physical danger. Good wallops. " she says "But with this, you need a new kind of courage... one you've shown before... the courage to trust. You took the oath... THAT, and not the attacking monster, was the bravest thing I've seen you do...despite the pressures and self interest involved. But courage is a virtue, and if you really have it it's not a one time thing. Can you be brave enough to trust and wait?"

He blinks in the face of that. "Yeah. Sure. Doesn't mean I don't get impatient or frustrated I guess but.... yeah."

"Of course you do. I do...about other things, of course. But you can't assume that everyone who disagrees with you has malice in their hearts." A pause "Okay, Dirk might have malice, but he's a redcap and they're a night mare kith. "

"I think you tell Dagmar you're being picked on, that folks treat you like an annoyance, and maybe they do... but a factor might be that everytime someone tells you 'this is how it is and it's a good thing' you say 'It's not a good thing' ignore them, or treat them like they don't know what they're talking about...and go back to complaining. Wouldn't you find it annoying if you were an expert on something, then someone came up, asked you for info, and then told you after you gave it you were wrong... and that person did it to every other person who didn't agree? I don't think you're an annoyance, but I can see how you'd offend a lot of folks if you keep acting like they're morons or mean...and while I don't think you intend that, that's kind of the vibe you're giving off."

"Oh."

"yeah" A nod, "You're a good guy, but if you were wondering what part of the problem is? I think impatience is a big part. And I know, because I've been on your side of it."

"So.... if I just act cool, your mom will lighten up? I mean... she did say I could come by with someone else. And I can patrol."

"Newsflash, this is IS my mom lightened up. You have no idea how many risks she's taken here for your sake. "

"Oh." A frown. "Well, maybe someone should tell me about all these risks and stuff? I could go ask Sam....."

"Oy"

"You're doing it again"