#anywhere

“Should like it, I know.” He says, dropping down from a low branch, soft pop-pop-pop noises as he pulls his fingertips free. He could do it silently, but it seems to amuse him sometimes.

“But a little sunlight wouldn’t go amiss if it brought the temps up.” Grimacing a bit at the thought of sunny weather.

"I don't mind the cold that much, even when it's like this - but you're kind of skinny. Surprised she hasn't gotten you kitted out with some fancy name-brand coat and all the rest."

A soft huff, amused. “Brand new doesn’t exactly fit the sluagh style. Vintage, maybe.” He considers, then continues, “Hey; I heard the news. Sorry I wasn’t there for it.”

A bit of a jaw jut.

"I'm fine. It's her right."

"Kerri will do a good job."

He gives her a questioning glance. “Don’t really see why Kerri needs to be involved. No offense to the hearth, but between you and Sylvi, isn’t everything taken care of?”

"Kerri is gonna be the new Chief?"

“And Cairraen, of course.” He is adding fondly- then, Blink. He stops mid pace.

“Huh?”

"Chief's retiring. Moving to Alaska. For good, not a vacation."

Slowly- “I was talking about the new fledge at Rutgers… I was in a wet exam when she popped… what’s.. what?”

"Oh. The doc. Yeah, she's doing okay. Good thing there's lots of satyrs on campus, too."

“No, what’s going on with the chief? Why would she leave? Brekke IS Rivervale.”

"She's retiring."

“She can’t just RETIRE… I mean… “ he looks taken aback.

"And leaving."

She kicks at a rock, sending it skittering down the path.

“But why? Did somthing happen? She’s not… fading?”

Shrug, hands jammed into her pockets.

Tentatively, uncertainty in his voice. “You’re not… I mean? You’re her Knight…”

"I'm still oathed to her, yeah. She doesn't want me to go to Alaska, no."

"She doesn't want me to take over as Storm yet, either. That'll be Olgar."

“Did you want to go to Alaska? SHit, I thought it was cold here…”

"No? I don't know."

“Shit. That’s.. It’s a lot. Are you okay?” He looks up at her. “No, you’re not. Wanna talk about it?”

"I can handle it. This is what she wants, it's her right, Rivervale will be okay."

"Kerri will do a good job."

“I know you can know it. You’re tough. That doesn’t mean you’re going to handle it alone.”

“I mean, you’ve got Sylvi, the mutt, your fam… me…”

A grunt.

He waits, watching the troll.

"I'm a Gwydion Knight, ain't I?"

"And a troll."

"I can handle this fine."

“The chief herself doesn’t handle a lot of things solo. She sure as shit could, but she created this whole…” a vague gesture around them. “Everything. With help. You don’t HAVE to be alone.”

"Well, I don't have what she had, and I can do it. I'm not being asked to build up a whole barony, I'm not even asked to be one of the three - I'm not being asked to do anything except suck up and be a grown up about things changing."

“So what? Just because you aren’t being asked to be in charge doesn’t mean that you’re not important and it especially doesn’t mean that what you’re going through doesn’t matter. It matters to you… it matters to me.”

“ Are you upset that you weren’t asked to be part of the triad?”

Shrug.

"Olgar makes sense. He's a good choice. I'm not ready, and I know it."

“For what it’s worth I think that they made a mistake.” He says, pragmatically. “How do they expect Olga to do his duty by the barony, when he also has to devote his time to rovering and taking care of things on the trods?”

“ Why make a change from one member of the old guard to another? I’d like Olgar as much as the next guy, but he’s a grump. Like it or not, that means he’s got a timer, an expiration date. Wouldn’t it make more sense to move on to fresh blood and him Stick around to help in an advisory capacity?”

"I couldn't do Storm properly and still go to Rutgers."

“But Olgar can without compromising his duties to being a rover, and being out on the trods, where a simple trip might end up taking weeks? Rutgers is only a short drive away.“ He says frowning..

"And there's no adventuring, either - Olgar is stepping back from Rovering, because being Storm requires presence."

“ not that my opinion matters as much as a fart in a hurricane. It’s not my decision, I know.”

"Same, really."

A scoff. “You’re a troll, a knight, and oathed to the chief. That’s at LEAST two farts and a belch.”

That earns a little upwards tug at the corner of her mouth.

He returns it with a gummy twist of his own lips. “Things change. I’ll just be glad no one tagged me, right? Authority is too much damn work.”