He'll let Mr. Walsh do most of the work

Returning to the table, Jason notices a certain tension. Oh, right, he hasn't fixed things with them yet. "All sorted out," he says.

"How could it be?" Willow says. She crosses her arms, skeptically. "What could you have possibly said that would actually fix it. Did you threaten him?"

"I didn't need to do anything like that. Frank is a perfectly reasonable man. I merely pointed out the obvious facts that you weren't breaking any rules, and that others get away with more." He sits down and resumes his meal. He did an excellent job on dinner, even if it was a little cold now.

"No he's not. Mr. Walsh isn't reasonable at all," Dina says. "Seriously, Dad, what did you say?"

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, it's settled. The only thing he emphasized is that you be a little more receptive to his requests in the future. Is that okay?"

"Fine," Willow sighs. "I'll see what I can do. But that sounds like we're right back where we started."

"It's not. Trust me?"

"Of course," she says. And they finished their dinner in peace.

That night, Jason decides to lay the groundwork on another project: his daughter. He knocks on her half-closed door before swinging it open. Her room has changed a lot over the years. It was pink for a long while (Willow's choice), and then seemed to go through quite an Anime phase with posters of very long, skinny boys with shaggy hair. These days her décor is a little more eclectic. There's still the odd anime boy, but there are far more books, and the walls have been painted a bright blue."Hey Di, how's homework?" Jason asks. She wasn't. She was laying on her bed, one leg up over the other, reading something on her phone.

"It's fine; I'm reading something for class," she lies. He knows she lies because he can see her thumbs switching apps. She puts her leg down. He could almost see her underwear under her very short shorts before she did that. He almost feels guilty for wanting to, but reminds himself that he doesn't care. Instead he focuses on thoughts of his youngest being taken.

"Cool, cool. I just wanted to chat." He grabs her desk chair and sits in it with the back in front, leaning on it. It creaks. "Just wanted to... catch up," he says casually.

"Um, sure," she sits up, back to the bed frame. Fuck she's hot. For whatever reason her mother's and his genes combined worked out pretty damn well. He's certainly noticed before, but choosing not to feel guilty about it lets him appreciate it more.

"So... are you still single?" he jumps right in without preamble.

"Daaad," she groans. "Seriously? Yes, I'm single." Any guard of hers that had slipped comes right back up.

"Okay, okay, I was just asking. It's no big deal if I just ask questions, right? It's normal." He hopes that opens all kinds of doors.

"I guess so. Weird question from my dad but it's no big deal. Are you single?"

He chuckles. "No, I haven't been for a little while now. Your mother is the only woman for me. But are you still single because you aren't into guys your own age? Do you prefer men much older than you?" The posters on her walls change. No more anime boys, now there's only anime men. Directly behind her is a bearded man looking over his hands with a pair of shiny glasses.

"I don't have to answer that," she says. "I plead the fifth. Ask anything you want, but it's my constitutional right not to answer. Learned that in Government last year."

"Smart girl. They're teaching you good stuff. Always know your rights." He looks around the room. "Sorry to pry into your love life, I've just been thinking about where you'll end up in life. Obviously you're going to become a famous author and make lots of money. You're writing romance books, right? Anyway, I'm curious who you'll end up with. Or if you will. Just guessing from the chapters you had me read, am I correct in guessing that you're into powerful men? Men in leadership positions?"

"The. Fifth." she says. But she didn't have to answer.

"I bet your mother encouraged that. Hasn't she always stressed being able to make powerful people like you?" This time his daughter keeps her mouth firmly shut.

"Okay, okay, then talk to me about something else. Tell me the latest of Suzannah, and the great Lord Hector." Work done, it's time to just have a good chat with his daughter. He listens, rapt, for a solid hour. She's certainly a teenager, but he's heard worse romance plots.

Jason's wife had been asleep a while before he finally got into bed. One more bit of work before sleep. He'd made Frank more likely to put up his end, but he had to make sure Willow would be able to receive it. Just to give Frank a little bit of help. He whispers low enough not to wake her, "if someone acts dominantly toward you, will it arouse you? Will you find that you like it when men tell you what to do? Can you be satisfied from now on if a man isn't treating you like you're his property?" Okay, he gave Frank a lot of help.Jason rolls over to go to sleep. His mind swims with all the seeds he planted tonight. He can't help himself from one more. "Are you dreaming of going to school in your underwear and is it the hottest dream you've ever had?" Satisfied with a low, sleepy moan, Jason manages to get to sleep.