#rivervale_lodge

"I dunno, she just kinda... stares."

"Symon does, too. But, like, it's Sy?"

"Even if he..." huff.

"This about his girlfriend?" Siv asks, and moves towards the horses where she knows Dagmar is more comfortable . They can sit on the railing

HUFF.

"I realize opposites attract but I confess I don't see how they hit it off .. and I can see why you'd be worried she's gonna break his heart. "

"I don't like her."

"But he does."

She sits on the railing even if Dagmar won't , "And so there you are , putting up with someone you don't like for his sake. I'm sorry. That's hard "

"It's just..."

"I thought if I didn't date anybody else, I wouldn't get left again."

Siv stares at the horses, looking so at peace, and says while she looks "Denying yourself a chance at joy never causes bad things or sad moments to pass you by. You just end up with the bad and sad happening anyway, and a chance missed. Trust me. I know"

"But it wasn't... it..."

"What we had was good."

"He was my best friend."

"Oh hey now... he's STILL your friend" Siv says "Is she trying to keep him from you? Like, Deliberately?"

"He's still my friend."

"But he's... " She shrugs.

"I screwed it up somehow."

"Somehow? Sounds like you're guessing you screwed it up, rather than knowing for sure. Dagmar, what happened that makes you think this?"

"He disappeared on me. I know he was busy with school, but, like, even in the same apartment..."

"Aye" SHe says "Now, forgive me. That does not sound like YOUR fault. Your concern, yes, but that's not the same"

"You saw what I did to May."

"Or, right, maybe I didn't do anything. Just... the usual. Normal stuff."

"I can't be what Symon wants or needs, right? He deserves someone that makes him happy. And if he's gonna fall in love, I'm sure as hell not getting in his way."

"It's pretty selfish and immature to get jealous."

A tilt of her head "But you didn't do to Symon what you did to May. You didn't spurn him, or send him away. Or ignore him. Now I don't know the whole story about you and May but I know enough to knwo you didn't respond to her letters. With Symon, you answsered every text he sent you. If he said hi you said hi back. " A consideration "Being immature is how you HANDLE your jealousy. Some very mature people get jealous, or petty. It's the actions they have that make it immature. Here you are, trying to be there for him if he needs you. Still caring for him. Sounds like a pretty damn mature jealousy to me"

"Yeah, so don't you tell him neither."

"Tell him what? I heard nothing" Siv assures "Look, you're handling your jealousy better than most would. And you know, it's possible she's NOT good for him. Want me to spy on her?"

A brow.

"You want to try to spy on Symon?"

"No, on her" she says

"Same thing."

"You try and spy on her, you think Sy won't notice?"

"Not necessarily" Siv says "And that's what surpried me. At the lake.. .she parted from him more than once. Oh sure he was in earshot but then sluagh ears. She went swimming.. without him. She often wandered into the crowds to chat folks up... without him. Now maybe she is considering he doesn't like crowds, but let's be honest... she seemed to be oddly.. distanced save on her terms. And they don't live together. I could do it . It would be a challenge mind ye"

"He doesn't like crowds."

"I'm glad he showed up. I wish I'd had a chance to talk to him..."

"Everyone has jobs, hobbies or the like that take them away from others briefly. Learn someone's sleep schedule, their work schedule, and you have them isolated, and availble for spying"

"Aye. I am glad he showed up too." A smile "We missed him. Lily has been a terror by the way. Trying to make up for our 'disasterous sluagh shortage'"

"Lily's cute."

"Not at bloody 1 in the morning when she's sticking to your window whispering Redrum... scared Jonas half to death"

She TRIES to look outraged on her lover's behalf but it's clear she found it a BIT funny

Snerk.

"Aye. Symon would be proud of her there"

"Probably." She rests her chin on her hands.

"Anyway, I'm offering to try to learn what I can about Carrian if you like? Not because you're jealous, but because you're concerned."

Her mouth twists.

"I dunno."

"Well, I.." Mmm "I suppose I could ask Lily to do it instead if you prefer? I mean, he'd forgive a fellow sluagh and kid"

"Not a kid!"