#baronyofthesilverwolf

"Let me get this straight" Wudlig scowls "SHe is gonna be furking Storm?"

Gerd and Wudlig are in his own workshop, the one hidden from most and partly underground, he made sure she'd fit, and she visits her ugly guy.

"If she wants to, and she'll be good at it," Gerd nods

"And you hope to be Hearth?" He says

"That's the plan" Gerd agrees "Nothing wrong with Hearth. I like working in the kitchen and helping people, and I don't want to be Mountain. I need people more than ritual"

"So thanksgiving rolls around, and cauze it's a holiday that's not furking fae, you got a chance to step up" The masked Nocker continues "Only, Dagmar just takes over everything instead when she's supposed to be honored anyway?"

"She doesn't LIKE a fuss, and the kitchen is her comfort zone too" Gerd frowns at her boyfriend, "Wudlig, it's nice your protective of me..."

"SOMEONE has to be" Wudlig snorts "She didn't even ask?"

"SHe didn't have to, and shouldn't. She was hurting... and needed safety. I found out there's a pet complication and that hits EVERYONE hard" \

He grumbles a bit "her pet die?" Softening

"It's COMPLICATED" Gerd sighs "And she didn't at the time want to talk about it. Point is... she needed it, and frankly while an Ember of the Hearth and she's a Bolt of the Storm, they are merely honorifics, not destiny. "

"And she didn't bully me, we worked together. She did a good job. I just..wonder is all"

"You wonder if she wants to be Hearth instead?" Wudlig says

"She'd be fine at a lot of it," Gerd says "And she might be happier"

"But YOU want to be a Hearth" Wudlig points out

"Yup" His girlfriend says

Wudlig wonders if he could get more out of her if he had his tool set, open the brain pan "Well, you can't both be Hearth when the time comes"

"Nope." She agrees "We can't."

Wudlig looks at her thorugh the lenses of his mask but despite the fact they give him great vision, he clearly isn't seeing something "Aren't you going to fight for it?"

"There is no fight. For one thing, Kerri is young for a grump, in greath health and I hope she is HeaRth for decades and decades to come. I love her. Dagmar loves her.. for another thing, I don't KNOW that Dagmar wants to be Hearth. There's a difference between having a safe space and wanting a role regularly. Third, if she wants it, she might need it more than I do"

"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Wudlig asks "Kvetching a little?"

"Oh, trolls don't talk about this sort of thing. We bottle it up really deep , put on a stoic face, and slowly stress about our anxieties even if it turns out they were unfounded. It's the source of our strength"

She says all the above with a solemn look.

The left side of the mask twiches, a sign the eye under it as is well "That's Meshuggeneh Bubkes! You have a worry but don't know if it's legit. SHE has an answer. TALK TO HER!"

"Okay, it's cute you've been practicing your Yiddish so the other nockers will like you..." She says "But I just said she's had a rough time recently, like I'm going to put more drama on her plate now?"

"YES! You got build up and the pipes need cleaning now rather than risking a rupture later!" Wudlig fumes "It's furking SCIENCE"

Gerd fights a smile. She knows he's right. A lack of communication can be poisonous . She's been studying psychology since she first admitted her eating disorder. And while Dagmar can be defensive at times, and had had some tensions, she likely wouldn't bite anyone's head off if they inquired if she wanted to be Hearth one day. She might not know the answer, but bite the head off? No. Still, it's nice that Wudlig is being protecitve of her. It's possibly this is a form of manipulation a way to 'test' your man. It's shallow and stupid and toxic feminity if there ever was, but... it also comforts her. She'll make it up to him, "Okay."

"You KNOW This stuff better than I do. You're Hearth Trained, and you have college level knowledge of psychology ,and that witch stuff probably helps too.." he snorts not quite getting that he won the debate, "You can't put yourself on some stupid cross only to find out no one was looking for an execution.. you're too smart for that."

"I agree" She says softly watching him wind up and go with restrained amusement and no small amount of fondness

"And Dagmar LIKES you, you and she talk now and then about stuff she wouldn't share with Siv, and maybe not even Sylvi. You have common interests in the kitchen, and you both like dogs..."

"Love my dog" She agrees

"And that's why you need to... " And he stops.

There it goes. The file finally uploaded, or is it down loaded? Gerd notices

"What did you say?" He asks her "Just.. recently?"

"I said 'Okay' and 'I agree' and I think the last was 'Love my Dog'" She reads the minutes of her side of his speech to her rescue.

The blush floods his cheeks which his mask does not hide fully, .spirals lighting up "Well then... that's that."

"Seems to be," she says "Shall we change the subject?" She asks

"Uhmm sure, to what?" He says still flustered.

There's a flash, and her clothes are gone, in a pile in the corner of the room. Naked as a bluejay, the witch stares at her boyfriend "I have ideas, want to hear them?"

He gawks, and it pleases her that he still knows when to be admiring. She's never just flashed her clothes and only her clothes off like this before. It had the effect she wanted.

Then he starts to take his vest off first, "I am all ears..."

"Not the part I'm interested in" She giggles, and helps him undress without use of cantrip

(Fade to Wilder Frolics)

"You think you're worthy of Silver Wolf Kennels do you?" Dame Gladiola says to the dogs as they line up in the snow, "Well, Winter is STRONG here in Silverwolf, our Baroness knows the art, and it is reflected in her soul. Lieges and their lands are one, so do not complain about the snow to ME"

The dogs assume the position of readiness , their human leader going back and forth "Some of you are short," A glance to Muppet "Half buried already." Then she moves to Ivan "Others are barely getting their paws wet. Winter doesn't CARE if it's fair. IT doesn't care if it is just. So it is up to each dog to tough it out. I don't care if you're as fluffy as a husky or bare as a Xolo, you'll get no sympathy from me if it slows you down in your training. When it gets cold, we get bold, am I right Ivan?"

Ivan barks to show support

Muppet WAGS. (Snow!)

"Just so," Gladiola says "Now, somewhere in that snowy field, there is a victim, buried in the ice and frost. YOUR job ,will be to get a sniff and find them... this is a rescue mission. You have to FIND the person. You have to WARM the Person, and you have to bark for help! None of that namby pamby St Bernard carrying mugs of hot booze here, NO. It's up to you to do this in that order. The first Dog to find the victim and do all this, gets a special treat."

At the word Treat the dogs all perk up even more. Oh they are raring to go. Muppet may even find himself pushed aside a bit by one of the big dogs in preperation

A cloth is passed around, "Got the smell? Take a whiff.." One after the other, and once more Muppet finds himself being pushed a bit to the back by the Bigger breeds eager to win