The Dale Decision

Thistle - Exploration

Fortunately, the adults seemed amenable to Bis' idea. The conversation was brief; it didn't need to be that long anyway. They agreed with the idea and said they would help; Ma even suggested that the extra sleep masks they'd brought could help quell any sleeping troubles.

They were permitted to stay outside and explore the grounds with Kendall. The three of them were agreeable to this; it would be a lot like what they did at home – but instead with sweeping lawns and narrow garden paths lined with bushes on either side. Some of these paths were made up of paving stones, separated by pebbles. They were like stepping stones.

They'd also enjoy Kendall's company, too... after those games they'd played, and the lengthy conversation they had during the morning tea... Thistle was much more trusting of her than the other Dales. He wasn't sure if he would want to explore the grounds with them... although Arden had been hanging around too, he seemed friendly. They had heard some nice stories about him, too.

It was at this time Kendall told them she was just fine simply being called "Kendall," as if she had sensed their earlier discomfort. Usually when they had visitors at the Dale Manor, they were important, official people involved with banking who called her "Miss Dale," a name she wasn't overly fond of.

Thistle was relieved for the confirmation and hoped that the other Dales would similarly provide some for their own names. Despite this, he still didn't feel totally at ease saying the name "Kendall" especially directly to her. He felt like he should add something to the front of it, like "Miss Kendall" or "Auntie Kendall," like with Auntie Bernadette. Even those weren't great... Auntie Kendall felt particularly odd. Probably because they didn't know her like Auntie Bernadette; she knew them all their lives and had stayed with them and Ma knew her since they were young. They didn't have that level of familiarity with Kendall.

It looked like he just had to adjust to it. Just like everything else. Still, it was a pain having to overcome these annoying, hard-to-explain feelings.

Their parents and Nana returned to the house. They planned to stay there and talk with Dalton and Brynn Dale over coffee. Ma and Pa said that if anything went wrong or they needed help to come seek them out, as well as providing directions to where they'd be, and saying that they weren't planning on moving until they got back.

The three of them were even more eager to adventure outside – it looked very much like the adults would start talking about banking or something else that he found... difficult. They were welcome to talk about these things; he just didn't want to be there for it.

Or they could start talking about that lady who had the book written about her – Thistle wouldn't say that topic was boring, it was just... he hadn't the faintest idea who this lady was or why any of it would be relevant to him, especially with everything else going on.

Or maybe they wouldn't talk about it, since Kendall would be with them, and she seemed to know the most about it. Thistle was inclined to trust her as a guide now – she had shown them how to play the trivia board game, and she had played fairly and didn't cheat.

That trivia game had been a nice activity overall. The rules were clear and laid out and didn't randomly change, as it should be with games. If only that were true for everything.

They did promise their parents that they'd stick together while exploring and stay close to Kendall. They were pretty sincere about it; even Bis didn't fancy getting lost here. The big reason being that it got dark sooner at this time of year – and much more unexpectedly.

In fact, when it started to get dark, that was the time they'd put their plan into action and set up a mattress in their parents' room. The Dales had already assured them they had spares. They'd get this done around dinner with all going to plan.