While the little girl was retrieving her sandwich from the barista, Olive quietly turned towards the man watching her with a warm, placating smile. “Would you like to join us Pa?” There was something about them that set her on edge, something sharp that she couldn’t quite place, but if she was going to be the focus of their attention she was going to try and play along. She tried to keep her voice light, almost teasing as she used the little girl’s term of endearment for him, causing that affectionate smile to be turned on her as well.

The man, Dalex, got up from his chair, making his way over towards her, his eyes assessing her and the situation as he pulled a chair over from another table to join them. “Be careful how friendly you are, she’s like a wild animal, be nice to her once or twice and every time we’re in town she will want to come back.” His chuckle was low and dark, churning something in her gut, thrill, or fear, she wasn’t sure which.

“Your name is Dalex, right? Fi gave you away, I’m Olive by the way.” She stumbled through the words, a little too conscious of herself right then, and how awkward she was in this situation. She didn’t normally have any problem meeting new people, but whatever mystery they held, it made her strangely uncomfortable. He was a kind-looking man, with a sweet child and they were friends of Mor, she shouldn’t be so anxious, and yet there was something about the way his dark eyes had initially looked that unsettled her. Now they were just a normal, dark, deep, almost black, grey. Normal by any standards. However, when he’d first come in they had looked almost purple, which was absurd and had to have been some strange trick of the light.

He nodded slowly at her question, looking back at the child as if he weren’t sure about getting familiar with her. “It’s nice to meet you Olive.” It was clear he genuinely meant it, his face softening as he offered her a handshake, warming up even as she could see the telltale signs of anxiety in his posture.

She took his hand in hers, noticing the wear to his long slender fingers, the kind that tinkered and played for a living, leaving her to wonder just what he did for work. “Your daughter said you protect the city from unheard horrors in the forest?” Olive tried to play it off with a little joking chuckle, trying to lighten the mood a little at least.

His laugh settled her nerves just as much as his answer did. “I’m a forest ranger, we split our time between the city and the tower.” Of course, she was being foolish, there were always logical explanations for the words of little children. “Anything else she said you want me to clarify?” He asked with another light chuckle. “Fi can have quite an imagination.”

“Something about creatures that create and cause forest fires?” She felt more than a little silly bringing up the girl’s daydreams here, it was already so clear that she’d been making stuff up and to even have a hint of concern seemed too ridiculous now, face to face with another adult.

He was clearly doing his best to try and reassure her, obviously not wanting her to feel awkward about her discomfort regarding what his kid had said, but the fact that he was chuckling made her more embarrassed. “There’s this group of teens that live in the town to the east, they often trek up to have bonfires in the woods.” Him knowing that the girl had said to the east without Olive telling him helped to calm her nerves, the girl had just been taking normal things and construing them for her own entertainment.

“It must get boring out in the woods for a little girl like her. What about school?” Olive realized that if they were out in the woods as often as Fi said, there was no way she went to school with other kids her age, which concerned her.

He shifted back a little, quirking an eyebrow at her line of inquisition. “I suppose I should have expected this when Mor mentioned you were a social work friend.” She was vaguely aware that he hadn’t meant it as a dig at her, but it still felt like one. “I homeschool Fi, she does really well in every class except English, she doesn’t like writing because she has ADHD and she can’t focus easily. She wants to be a ranger when she grows up, but if she changes her mind I will support her in every way I can. She gets socialization when we’re in town, it’s a rotating schedule and when we’re here she sits in private lessons with other kids in our family.” He paused to clear his throat, taking a sip of his drink, shifting to check and see that Fi was on her way back, slowly shuffling, careful with every little step that she didn’t somehow drop her plate or sandwich. At the rate she was moving, the little girl would still be a few moments yet. “And before you ask, yes I am a little young to be her father, I found her abandoned in the woods when I was 17, yes it was a lot of work, but it was worth every moment of it.” There was no resentment, he was not bothered sharing that information, it was clearly a question he got often, however, he almost seemed proud of it, having raised her on his own when he was barely more than a child himself.

“Sorry.” Her voice was low as she let her eyes flick back up to his face, tracing the shape of his soft lips to avoid meeting his gaze. She was vaguely aware that she hadn’t really asked the question, that he’d willingly volunteered that information, but it still felt like an invasion and that she should apologize for it.

His head shook for a moment, letting out a light chuckle at her apology. “I don’t accept, I don’t mind you thinking those things, or wanting to ask them, I’m used to them and I don’t want you to feel bad. In this world, there are certain expected social norms and when people live differently from them it most people don’t take too kindly to it” He put a slender finger to his warm lips, a motion signalling to quiet the subject as the little girl’s shuffling feet finally approached. “You got all the way back here with that sandwich all on your own?” His voice was light as if it had been some kind of feat, clearly playing along with whatever game she was playing.

She gave a nod, letting out a long exhausted huff, setting her plate on the table before silently climbing into her chair. Once settled, she patted out her lap like she was somewhere fancy and let out a long, anguished sigh. “Where is Jack? Did he get lost on the way here? I was taking my time so that he’d be here by the time I got to my seat.”

The drastic pout to her lips really dramatized just how upset she was about whoever Jack was, not being there yet. “Your partner?” Olive raised an eyebrow, turning towards the man, hoping she didn’t come across homophobic with the question, being queer herself she never wanted anyone to interpret her meaning wrong.

Clearly, he took no offense to the words as he replied honestly. “No, he’s an apprentice ranger.” Olive couldn’t imagine that Dalex was much more than an apprentice himself, but obviously, that wasn’t true if he was helping one out.

The bell above the door announced someone’s arrival and when she turned her head to look she saw a kid, he was not much younger than Georgie had been when she’d last seen her. The boy, obviously Jack, waved to Dalex, causing Fi to perk up with energy she hadn’t had just a second previous. “That’s your apprentice?” It came out as more of a hiss than she’d have liked and it startled the man sitting near her. “He’s a child! He should be in high school, not working as an apprentice forest ranger! Where are his parents?”

“His parents abandoned him, and the foster system doesn’t care about older teens. This way he will learn and have a successful career and a life, he starts out on his feet safer than he would have if he were just left to the street.” Of course, she knew that better than anyone, it had been why she had fought for Georgie, but it didn’t stop her heart aching for him. “You have any trouble finding it?” Dalex asked the kid as he approached the table, eyeing her a little wearily.

He produced a little bag from behind his back as the man pulled a chair up for him. “Nah, sorry I’m late, I got distracted.” The boy motioned to the bag, urging the little girl to open it up.

“With presents?” Dalex didn’t bother to hide his amusement as the little girl procured a sweet little stuffed dragon from the bag, obviously meant to fuel her colourful imagination.

She clutched it to her chest protectively, glaring accusingly at her father, like she thought he might take it away from her. “Thank you Jack!” she spoke quickly, getting it out before she was no longer able to accept it, but it was clear her father was not going to make her give it back.

“Yes, thank you, Jack.” His smile was fond, the apprentice was clearly someone he cared about even if he pretended the kid was just another apprentice. “Jack, this is Olive, she is a friend of Morrigan’s, she wrote that book she gave you.”

The implication that Mor had given anyone her book was embarrassing enough, but to hear that the kid in front of her had read her dorky young adult fantasy felt like a big wave threatening to drown her. “Miss Olive? It’s nice to meet you, Ma’am.” He was so formal, gentle as he spoke, and offered her a little half-bow as a greeting rather than offering her a handshake like his associates had. He had a similar, strangely placed accent like the two of them, but not as heavy and she wondered, silently, if he’d begun to pick it up from spending time around them.

“You don’t need to call me Ma’am, that makes me feel a lot older than I actually am.” The heat that rose in his cheeks made it clear that she’d embarrassed him, which made her feel just a little bad, it hadn’t been her intention for her words to come across as a reprimand.

He ducked his head a little but didn’t dare look away, clearly a learned habit though she wasn’t sure if that had been from his parent or whatever training he’d gone through. “Right, sorry Miss Olive I didn’t mean any harm…” He busied his hands, folding up and away the little paper shopping bag, tucking it into the strikingly large camping backpack.

It had a tent firmly buckled to it and she wondered when the last time he’d slept under a roof was. “It’s okay sweets, I was just teasing you, no harm no foul.” She defaulted back to the term of endearment and tone her mother would take when coaxing her foster kids out of their shell. “Are you in town long, Jack?” she was gentle, trying not to raise any red flags or sound any alarms.

“Just the night Miss Olive, and then I’m back out in the field.” He clung to his bag like it was his life and she could only imagine that it probably held everything he owned in the world. “Dalex lets me stay at his place for the night when I’m in town, not that I’m in town much, new guy and all you know? I get worked the hardest.” He gave a little laugh, clearly one he expected her to join him with and she did her best, though it sounded fake to her own ears.

She glanced at Dalex, wishing he was Mor, that they knew each other well enough to share silent conversations, though it seemed like he got the gist. Perhaps this was the silent language of concerned Parents her mother had always joked about. “Right, well if you ever need anything I would be more than happy to offer up my spare room or give you a drive or something?” She could hear it in her voice, the way it edged every word with anxiety.

“I will Miss.” It was obviously a placating statement, something to get her to calm down and not notice just how desperate he was. “Thank you, for now, we should get going so that I can report my progress.” He was already getting up, the bag swinging onto his shoulder before lifting Fi.

Somewhere in the conversation the little girl had devoured the entire sandwich and was now climbing all over the boy giving her attention. “If he needs anything… if he’s not safe, reach out to Mor, please?”

“How about instead you just contact me, Jack goes back tonight but we go in three days, you could come with us and escort him back to the city if it calms your nerves. You could even try and convince him to give it up and come live with you if you want, but I doubt a boy like that would accept it.” They spoke in gentle whispers, taking the phone she handed him to add his contact, carefully typing it in with the keyboard, not wanting the teen to overhear or notice their conversation.

“You be safe Miss Olive.” He rose from his seat, giving her another small bow, dropping some change as a tip before rounding up the children. “Come on, lets get going so we can be home in order to get Chinese.” His words lit the girl up like a match to a candlestick, but Jack seemed wary of the offer of food, a sight that made her heart seize. She was never going to work on her book now, no now she needed to get more information out of Mor, whenever the other woman got out of her appointment.