#bergen_county

As the crowd shifts attention from baking to crafting, Kerri steps down from the platform.

Dagmar is near Semi-champion Gerd!

Kerri has met Dame Lavender aka D'Lorean aka Dee before and sees she is near Dagmar though she did cheer both of her Holdmates' successes. The satyress sees the Baron, and taps Dagmar on the shoulder and points Kerri out "Hey, now's a good time"

Kerri spots Dagmar, and goes towards her immediately.

Dagmar might recognize the checking-that-she's-okay expression that Kerri wears, the one she sometimes tries to hide when somebody comes in after a fight.

"Chieftain!"

"I got to meet the horses!"

Now that Kerri is closer , Dame Lavender gives a little bow , but comes up smiling "They are gorgeous"

"Which horses?" She gives Dee a respectful nod in return.

"The prize for the joust? Fae steeds."

"Oh! Yes! You have one in mind?"

"I wanted to talk to you, since it's for the Lodge."

She purples, rubbing the back of her neck. "I might have a favorite."

Dee gives Dagmar a look, while not troll speak, it clearly says 'MIGHT?'

"I mean, I have logical reasons. Don't give me that look, Dee."

"Of course," Kerri says with a nod, but she seems preoccupied by some other thought as well.

Dagmar is about as close as the knight gets to "bubbly" right now, blithe and unconcerned. Symon's favor is still on her arm, even though she put the armor away.

Dee says "who me? Never" White Lie Ding

"I also know that the Lodge is already doing a lot of work to help care for Star while I'm at school..."

"Star's no burden, Dagmar. She's family."

"Still..." A shrug, and acceptance. "But with Stormwake leaving, she'll be lonely. So this is good timing, right?"

"Healthier for the horse really" Dee says supporting Dagmar

A slight grin. "I'd had similar thoughts, actually. Star wouldn't like being alone."

"Right, so do you want to see them? They're all real fine horses."

"I do..." She has something else on her mind though. "We should discuss something first." She gestures to draw Dagmar to the perimeter of the crowd, nodding that Dee can come along as well.

Dee is honored and follows

"Oh, sure. Anyways, I was trying to count childlings, and I know we've at least a dozen right now..."

"Ylva's real keen on the horses especially, it seems..."

Following!

"Yes, that's part of what makes horsecare so easy, the number of childlings eager to help."

D'Lorean trots along. She doesn't have a childling count for Silverwolf but they do like the horses. Well, except maybe oddly Blossom

"RIght! Spark might visit when Connor does, of course, so we need flexibility there..." Oh yeah, Dagmar is downright sunny

Kerri almost regrets the topic she needs to bring up. She stops and faces Dagmar.

"Connor loves visiting so that might be more often than you think" Helpful

"Connor's the best." She stops. Kerri looks awful serious.

"...Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Kerri assures her immediately. "You did everything exactly right. And apparently, somebody thinks that you're so very good at what you do that they wanted to eliminate you. During the joust."

She blinks.

Kerri sighs. "The Balor, the one who withdrew from the joust? He had a tipped lance, loaded with poison. He got caught in time."

"I... but it's just a joust?"

Dee scowls "So that's why he was disqualified"

"Yes. I don't think it was about the joust. I think it was about having an opportunity to do something more."

"Wait - you think it wasn't about... I mean, some people get way off their heads about sports."

"I've seen it happen, heard stories..."

"It's possible. Or it might have been about putting you in a position of weakness when they could leverage Star's ransom against you."

She tenses up. "I couldn't lose Star."

"No. They'd have you over a barrel."

Dee puts a hand on Dagmar's shoulder, bit of a reach but she's trying to comfort. SHe would hate to lose Moondance.

She shakes her head. "But that doesn't make sense. I'm not anyone special."

"Maybe - you think they thought the Chief was gonna be fighting for Rivervale? Just saw the gold and green and blue and figured?"