#rivervale_lodge

"Just you? What kind of quest?"

"Me and Symon. Taking some dangerous secret thing off to be safe."

A sigh. "And I'm supposed to go on another with Nadeen, too."

"Well, you and Symon are a good team. Just be as careful as you can."

"What's the one with Nadeen?"

"Finding these horses."

"For Baron Aiden." Huff.

"Oh, I remember you mentioned...golden horses?" She finishes kneading and puts a cloth over the dough before setting it aside to start to rise.

"Yeah."

She rubs the dough from her fingers as she looks at Dagmar. "You don't sound as excited about it as I might have expected. Is it because of who the quest is for?"

"I'm sorry."

A blink. "Sorry? For what?"

"Not sounding excited?"

"Well, I wasn't telling you that I wanted you to." She wipes her hands clean. "Just observing that you don't."

"I guess I'm not."

"I'm probably not being very fair to him. He fired the squire that hurt Star, even if he didn't realize how good a horse she was. And he's good with his animals."

"Yes, from what I gather from Nadeen, he's not quite the villain we'd all thought he was. It would have been so much easier if he had been, though." She sighs.

"Yeah." Glum.

A quiet pause. "Tell me what's going on there."

"I don't know all that's happening at Silver Wolf. Nadeen would."

"He took in the satyress jouster, the one with the old horse? And that horse is with the camp now, so everyone's happy."

"I'm glad for the old horse. And for the kids who will get to enjoy her. I hope the satyress will be happy there -- I'm told she's got a lot of potential as a jouster if she gets the right steed. You'll probably compete against her at next Pennons."

"Doesn't Nadeen tell you about what's going on there?"

Shrug.

"Some of it. I dunno. I've been busy."

A little crease between her brows. "You...haven't been speaking with Nadeen?"

"Not.. not about Silverwolf..."

"But...you're still speaking with her?"

"And I've been back in computer school, so I'm not seeing much of anyone outside of the house right now."

"The house, and the horses, and...that's it?"

"Mostly, yeah."

Kerri considers this a moment. "That doesn't sound awful, but it doesn't sound great, either."

"Yeah, kinda."

"I wasn't having a great time at the farm school."

"Okay, that really does surprise me. I thought...school, friends, animals...perfect fit."

"But I guess that's oversimplifying things. What made it bad for you?"

"I... I dunno. Like, regular school it's more a mix?"

"Like, this class I have Symon, and that one Sylvi..."

"Ah, okay. More variety."

"But it's just everyone all the time, and you don't get a break. And when Adam joined..." Huff.

"Ah." Revelation. "I haven't seen him in a while. I thought things had been getting a little better between you and him."

Grunt. "He just doesn't acknowledge my existence, which is fine."

"Or at least probably the best of all alternatives."

"Well, you'll forgive me for pointing out that you don't sound like it's fine."

"What do you think the other alternatives are?"

"Yeah, I heard already. I'm letting him have power over me."

"I dunno - having him make those faces like I'm gonna hurt him. That'd be worse."

"He's also just.. like.. hard to ignore? Like he hates being there, and lets everyone know it. And doesn't like the teachers, and you know it. And thinks all of Rivervale is awful and how bad it is for him to have to go to school with us."

"Dagmar, I wasn't going to say anything about him having power over you, or you letting it happen. About those faces...I don't know if he still does that, but I think at first he was genuinely afraid of your strength. Now, he's borderline Fiona, and likely to be a good deal less fearful."

She frowns. "He...said that all of Rivervale is awful?"