#rutgers

Sylvi tilts her head. "Can I ask...is that you being honest? Or you thinking it's not what you deserve, so it's not allowed to feel right?"

She puts a hand over her sternum. "My oaths - I can feel them, and god... when everything is a mess, at least there I don't feel afraid, or unsure. As soon as I said the words, it... you know how it is. How it changes part of you, deep inside."

"And... and you can't go into that with doubt."

"Which brings us back to making sure you're being honest, if you want to offer any oath. And I still think Maisie can help with that."

"Maybe something's wrong with me."

"Well...some wrong stuff has happened to you. That's not the same thing."

"Yeah, well. It's been years. I should be better."

"And we keep coming back to being honest with yourself. But really? You are better."

"And I know what the fairy-tale is supposed to be. But I just... why... why does that have to be the goal?"

"Like, every other kind of love is... less-than."

A blink. "Wait...do you think I'm pushing you to have some kind of kissy-smoochy relationship with him?"

"To be girlfriend-boyfriend? Yeah?"

She shakes her head. "I want you two to be whatever you are. Whatever you both decide. What that looks like is up to you two."

Her broad shoulders droop.

"And that's what you want, too."

"I miss him."

"I know." A sigh. "Look...I want to do whatever it takes to help. Please trust me on that."

"I know. I do. You're my friend, too."

"One of my first real friends. I don't discount that."

A wry grin. "But it's different, and you need to make sure Symon knows that he means even more to you than that."

She closes her eyes. "And to even think about that, we need to get him home."

"Okay. Back to the apartment, and... and summer strategies?"

Sylvi looks towards Maisie's apartment...looks down at the wings she's carrying...and sighs. "I guess. Yeah."

Dagmar has, apparently, won this round.

Not an easy victory, and likely no a complete one - but a delay, at least.

(scene)