#rivervale_lodge

Eyebrow.

"What?" Feeling slightly defensive, she doesn't speak trollface. "If you had a message in a random old stranger's voice saying those things, it might weird you out too."

"It would." He agrees. "But did it sound like he was afraid for someone he cares about?"

"I guess." Not quite convinced. "It's not like Fiona have cornered the market on caring about people. I just don't see why he has to..." A shrug. "Sorry." And sips her cider.

"Nothing to apologize for." Mildly.

"These are all my observations; they may or may not be accurate."

"I wish he hadn't found that lamp." She says quietly.

A sigh. "Certainly has the potential to change things."

"But it's not fair for me to want him to stay the same just because... I want it. I wouldn't ask that - couldn't. Not when he feels like.. like half a person. But I still wish it hadn't happened."

His beard moves. "People grow. You can grow with them, or away from them. Sometimes back again."

A small nod and she nibbles on the fruit, with an occasional glance back at the door.

"It quieted down at least... that's a good sign maybe?"

"Yes. Brekke is wise. Wise enough to be Liam. Don't tell her I told you that." Humor?

And as the chief's voice raises this time, she drifts over to the window, peeking out. "Oh. They're in the practice ring. Is that good? Maybe they'll just... fight it out?"

"Mmmm." He stands and joins her. "Dagmar has an advantage."

“She has a lot. She’s bigger, stronger, has more training...”

“But the Chief won’t let her- won’t let either of them get -really- hurt.” It’s a statement, but she still sounds a little worried.

"She will not." Rock-solid sure.

A small nod. And her hands clutch at the counter, gripping tight as she watches this unfold through the window. “Adam, don’t...” she whispers.

"Mmmph." Frank opens the door and steps out to the practice ring.

And Piper follows after, a few steps behind.

Then she stops.. in the doorway... and steps back inside.

In the window... but not at the ring.

Gerd comes into the kitchen , trying not to look troubled

"Chief knows what she's doing" She says reassuring. But is she reassuring Piper? Or herself

"I... I wish I could help. But I don't think I should be out there. That would be the opposite of helping..."

And she gasps as Adam throws himself at Dagmar. "How is this helping??"

"Maybe it's letting a lot of pentup anger out for more than one?"

"Ehmmm." She murmurs and watches, fretfully.

"Look, if the Chief calls I promise I will zip out there and flicker anyone anywhere she wants"

"It just looks... escalating. But I don't know. I'm no.. coach, or therapist, or whatever is going on out there."

"I admit, this is not how my therapist does things." A pause "probably to save on replacing office furniture"

"What game is he playing at here?" She shakes her head, eyes wide as she watches Adam confronting Dagmar again, and again.

"Is he TRYING to get decked?"

"Your boyfriend has issues. We all do" Gerd says "But his do make it hard to sympathize"

Her mouth twists a bit, but she does not refute that.

"Siv got tired of him because he kept putting words in her mouth.. she would say one thing, and he'd twist it to something he didn't say. Then when she told him to stop that, he turned THAT around saying she was over sensitive. Dagmar...well, you hear what's going on with Dagmar. He treats every girl like a flower, and that's great, until you realize that a bee doesn't much care that the flower he just left can see him tickling the petals of the flower right next to her. Dirk scared him once, so naturally Dirk is a 'psycho' or worse...and Adam has to PROVE how tough he is with Dirk. Now that most recent encounter between them was MY fault... but the shit before that? 70% Adam, 30% Dirk. IF you ask me, which you didn't. " Gerd gets an apple out of the fridge, "The frustrating thing? By the time he does something amazing or heroic even, it's hard to give a fuck because you wonder if he did it to help, or because it makes him look and feel good. I suppose we're all guilty of that . He IS a good guy...but like I said..." A sigh "it's lost in all the hassle."

She opens her mouth to defend him, but is left hanging. "He's trying to be better."

"He IS better, and for a time we thought .. you know, Crash of the Storm.. due recognitioon. Hey, one of us, thanks. But ..." A sigh "Two steps forward one step back is very frustrating when you finally thought he was going to that good guy you knew he could be. I'm not saying he's a lost cause. Hell, we're the island of misfit toys around here. I'm broken myself and getting better. But.. soon as we think he's in a spot 'good enough' something happens to make it start over again. Not always his fault either. I wish the Chief hadn't wished him into a sidhe ,but she did it because he wanted it. " A frown "The truth is? he's not going to be happy as a sidhe etiher. MISERABLE kith... and I say that with a sidhe friend and some I admire. They have hungers and drives that rarely lead to contentment. He might be a legend, a great and good sidhe... but few sidhe are happy. They are at best, smiling for their people's morale. Even the Autumn Sidhe ache with wants that this world no longer sustains... not for long"

For a moment, Gerd's reflection in the window shows a brief glimpse of an older face.

but that could be Piper's imagining

"THen again, Adam the kinain didn't seem very content either" Gerd says with a shrug "Look, I'm not going to judge you for loving who you love. I fell for a jerk Eiluned boy"

She just nods. "Sorry... this is painful to watch. I want to run out there and... shake him. And try to tell him..."

"Trolls don't have a monopoly on protective urges" Gerd says "one of Adam's traits in fact that I kind of admire. he tries to protect those that he cares about"

"He can't protect them from himself if he tramples on feelings thinking he's skipping through the roses."

"I think that's a very apt metaphor"

"It's like... he was hurting my feelings, with something he was doing too. And we talked... and he doesn't understand still WHY I was upset. He'll change his actions... but I don't know if he really knows why it hurt me in the first place. It's like if... he's walking through a field of brambles, and it cuts up his feet. But the solution he sees is not to walk there. Not to remove them, or wear shoes... it's just, "I don't know why my feet hurt here, I will take another path."

"I wish he could eat one of those cookies the girls were talking about. Maybe get some boggan insight for a day."

"yeah, that's it. He complies but he also diminishes, his 'fix' often adds extra injury." Gerd ponders "Sylvi tries to guide him, warn him about things... and he accuses her of being a control freak, and then when she washes her hands of him, she's a 'bitch.' He puts words in Siv's mouth that she never said... then complies but only to call her over sensitive. he's been acting like Dagmar should just 'get over it' and here we are"

Adam opens the kitchen door and enters.