#rivervale_lodge

Finding Dirk isn't hard. He's often on patrol, and she knows his routes.

Kerri could text him more quickly...but somehow, doing it this way feels more right, especially as it's not exactly an emergency. Besides, she could use a good walk in the snow.

"Chief?" He looks over from the sidewalk, theres' some dried blood on a knuckle, chimerical. "Everything okay?"

"I should be asking you," she replies, nodding towards the trace of blood on his hand.

"Oh, that, had a fight with a chimera, it didn't need killing, just taken to pound town and driven off" he says "It was part wildebeest , part trouble maker, part problem... a Gnuisance . Decided it was going to mess with nurses at a clinic, that's when what's minor gets dangerous . It will go bother someone who ain't dealing with life and death"

Kerri nods. "Well done, Peacekeeper. I'm going to join you for a bit. Something's going on, and I'm hoping you can help me figure it out."

"Yeah, sure. Who do you need punched?"

"Nobody at the moment, I'm pretty sure. This is about Serenity."

His head whips around "She okay? Someone messing with her?" His teeth flash yellow and sharp

Kerri puts her hands up to calm him. "She's fine. Upset, but fine. But I'm wondering the same question. For some reason, she's feeling under pressure to prove herself, more than the average fledge."

He stops "Prove herself? what for? "

Kerri stops with him. "I'm not sure. But..." She pauses, trying to choose her words carefully.

"She's concerned that some people are viewing her as just a 'kid.'"

At THIS he rolls his eyes "She's a fledge. She can't full control her magic, trods are extra dangerous, and she doesnt' even know who she is yet. I told her that she had time to grow up"

"Hm. You used those words? 'Grow up'?"

"Well, yeah I said she had time to..." He pauses "SHIT."

Kerri gives him a rueful grin as the penny drops.

"It might have been different if you'd told her she had time to learn, but as it is...she asked me to speed up her saining. She didn't want to take 'no' for an answer, so I had to be rather firm with her. She definitely didn't like that."

"She's been a lot less trouble than some of us in some ways, still a pain in the ass though. " A grumble and guilty look

"Is she so irritating?"

"I don't ...she gets under my skin" he shrugs "I don't know what it is. I'm not a troll right? So I should be TOTALLY okay if she gets her bruises and bites. But for some reason I worry about her more than I should. I know that'll coddle her, so I don't... and I get to see if she can step it up. Then she cheats, she steps up! She bitches, but she gets it done. She tells me how I don't need to do this or that right? But I do it anyway because hell, I'm Dirk. I do what I do. And instead of walking off even when I made a mess of myself she's there and seems to have my back. I don't GET her but I also am thinking of her when she's not around. It's stupid. It can't be like just loin energy cuz then i wouldn't care so much about what she THINKS, right? But I do, even if I wanna roll my eyes"

Kerri listens, and nods. "She exceeds your expectations, inspires your best efforts, and occupies your attention. How dare she."

"THANK you!" he says "See, irritating!"

"Oh, I completely understand! I've been there."

"YOu have? DId you get to punch whoever or did that Dadga code mess you up?"

"Well, no. Not exactly. I married him."

"I... wait, this is about the frickin Storm? "

"You don't think he and I irritated each other?" A chuckle. "You've no idea."

"Well, yeah, but you two are like in love and shit" he observes "I can't be in love with Serenity. She's like my STUDENT right now. I'm not professor Wayburton, ya kn ow?"

"That does pose a potential problem. So I see two possible solutions: One, I assign somebody else to instruct her until her saining. Honestly, that's not what I'd like to do."

"Don't worry, boss. I 'll tell her no hanky panky, keep it strictly pro" A nod seeing it as solved

Kerri takes a deep breath. "I would like you to remain her guide, yes. But...I think you better not even mention those feelings. Not yet. But...treat her with respect, just as you've been doing, in your way."

"My way seems to piss her off. Now she wants to get sained early cause of what I said? How do I unsay shit?"

"Well...you can't. But maybe re-say it? Maybe emphasize that she has time to learn, like I said before. If she points out that you said 'grow up' before, just say that learn is what you meant. Don't make a bigger deal of it than that."

"Well, okay. I mean, she's not STUPID" he admits

"No, she's not. Might want to point that out to her, too."

"I think this dcould get me in more trouble. We redcaps suck at any form of social interaction which in't a threat" he grumbles

"I know, and I'm sorry. I wouldn't have mentioned it, except...if she's as mad at me as she seems, she might do something unwise to prove she's ready now."

"She needs your support, Dirk, to get through the rest of her saining. Even if you annoy the hell out of each other."

"Oh geez. I gotta find her" he says alarmed "if she's doing the stupid NOW"

"I last saw her at the Lodge," she offers, as a starting point.

He breaks into a run!

Kerri almost calls after him to tell him to slow down...but decides against it. I've meddled enough.

She turns towards the Lodge herself, but at a slower pace.

(End Scene)