As Far As I Know, Nothing's Wrong.

[kissmeandstopme]

Mandy had just spent some wonderful time with her parents, and Auntie Wall, and the whole Waller clan.

She was making plans for training with Brandon when a thought occurred to her.

How was Henry taking all this? Had Liv even told him?

Henry was Mandy's friend, and she didn't want him completely blindsided. But she didn't want to rub information in his face either, considering how he felt about Brandon.

One of the best ways to get a level-headed view on the issue, she felt, was to call the closest source on Henry one could get outside of Henry's household.

"Hello, Din?"

Comments

[sonoftheatom]

No, 'perfect' is 'we go back in time and make it be not a problem', but time-travel is a bit beyond them right now. And probably shouldn't be used to solve romantic woes even if it were.

"We have a time-frame on this?" Dinadan asks, checking the oven timer again. "I mean, the longer we wait, the more likely he is to hear about it from Liv; but also the more likely he is to hear about it from somebody else in the gossip-slurry that is our little community, and the more cranky he's going to be that he was left out of the loop."

[kissmeandstopme]

"Yeah, good point. Are you busy tomorrow?"

[sonoftheatom]

"I guess I am now, aren't I?"

[kissmeandstopme]

She laughed. "Yeah. I appreciate this, Din. How are things over there, anyway?"

[sonoftheatom]

"They're going," Dinadan says with a shrug, even though Mandy can't see it over the phone. "Nothing has exploded and the old men are still puttering around being terrifyingly brilliant and occasionally pantsless. Oh, and someone taught Tris to wolf-whistle, which is going to end up biting me in the butt sooner or later I'm sure. How about you?"

[kissmeandstopme]

"Oh, that sounds adorable," Mandy says. "I'm fine. Mom and Dad and Auntie Wall are fine. And Brandon and I are still ring-buddies, so we need to get back on the practice schedule soon."

[sonoftheatom]

Dinadan tries to figure out which of the things he just rattled off qualifies as "adorable". Probably Tris.

"Speaking of, can I convince you to swing by tomorrow and pick me up to go to Henry's? Cookies taste weird after you shrink them down, and Tris hates phone travel and sulks if I go visit Henry without her."

[kissmeandstopme]

"Of course. No trouble at all."

[sonoftheatom]

"Great, thanks. Cross-country's a little much for me without phone-lines."

"Hi Henry, hi Henry!"

Dinadan glances up see Tris puffed up on her perch, looking around like she's expecting someone. He tilts the phone's mouthpiece away from his face. "Don't get your feathers all disordered, he's not here. We're going to see him tomorrow." Tris wolf-whistles at him and hops closer like she wants to inspect the phone.

"Mandy, Tris says 'hi'."

[kissmeandstopme]

"Oh my goodness." That is so cute. "Hi, Tris!"

[sonoftheatom]

Tris hops onto Dinadan's shoulder, putting her head up next to the phone.

"Pretty bird," she cooes hopefully. Dinadan rolls his eyes and chuckles indulgently.

"Yes, yes, pretty bird. No screeching into the phone this time, you hear? Sorry Mandy, bird invasion."

[kissmeandstopme]

"Absolutely no problem at all. You and Henry done the ring-flight thing much before?"

[sonoftheatom]

"Yeah, we have. You don't need to worry about me getting airsick or anything like that."

[kissmeandstopme]

"Great. Didn't figure, but leave no angle unconsidered and all. I knew /you'd / understand, Din."

[sonoftheatom]

"Totally fair. If I were the one providing transport, I'd check that too," Dinadan says. He is the guy with a (small) first aid kid in his backpack, after all.

[kissmeandstopme]

"Great. I'll see the two of you tomorrow?"

[sonoftheatom]

"Yep, sounds good. Give me a call before you come over, and we'll be waiting."