#rivervale_lodge

Brekke gives her daughter a careful hug back.

Gerd calls out "Here ye! Hear ye! It's time for the Maypole! And there will be games after!"

"Go, before I change my mind and have your father build a tower to put you in."

"Right of rescue. I know. Frank told me."

Siv grins, and nods,"Aye, Captain Mom" And races off

"Find a partner!" Kerri encourages, and adds for some of the newcomers, "We keep this very PG, don't worry."

Colton had gone to hang with Sylvi and her friend, when the news of the maypole arose

"Oh!" Sylvi looks to Colton...then a slight awkward pause...but then she offers her hand with a hopeful look. "I've always had to dance with Gerd before...."

"That's only part of it," Marsha says, " I hear about interesting people, I get interested. You're not a charity case, Dagmar. You're a gift from the Dreaming." She rises, "Don't doubt that. Up to you, but the maypole can be fun. " She waves, clearly giving Dagmar her space

A wary look and then a shake of her head. "No."

Seemingly unnoticed, he slinks back into the background, biding time until he can reasonable leave...

The tall maypole is around the far side of the house, bedecked with ribbons, and Kerri instructs every couple to take a pair that match in color. She drags Olgar over, calling out to Dagmar, "If you're not going to dance, can you make sure nothing on the grill burns, please?"

Colton grins and offers his hand to Sylvi, "I'd love to. I'm sure Gerd will forgive me."

"Maybe" Gerd says, but smiles

She trudges over to the grill, deflated.

Brekke and Frank take a pair of ribbons, Frank grinning like a school boy, Brekke's grin a bit more shy but happy.

"But come dance if you want to!" Kerri makes sure to add.

Ann Marie is saying "he's really a wonderful boy but... oh, where did he go?"

A mute shake of her head.

There are plenty of ribbons still. "Vali, didn't Tiffany come?" says Kerri.

He sighs, "Tiffany's at New Agengard"

Siv strides up to Kelly, "Hi. Ah.. the fellow I was going to dance with turned out tobe ah.. a sclub. You mind?"

"I'm sorry...maybe another dance partner?" She looks around the group, like a hen gathering chicks. "Going to start in a second."

Kelly looks around, then, "Well, macho men don't dance they say... but what I can do is hold a string and go in circles while grunting with masculine pride."

"That'll work," Siv says, glad not to be desertted

Once everybody's arranged, Kerri calls out, "Okay, it's easy! And if we mess up part way through, don't try to stop and fix it, just go with it. So...face your partner...and now step to your right, and go past your partner...no your right! There you go...now a big step to your left, and go past the next person you're facing...Right! That's all there is to it? Good? Tove, you ready?" she says to the troll woman who is holding a flute shaped like a narwhal.

"Ready!" Tove says

"Play away!" And as the music starts up, she cries out, "Keep going like before! To your right, and pass the next person....then to the left...Watch your ribbons! Don't clothesline anybody!"

the music starts up, full of spring and summer feeling

Dagmar hunches over the grill - looking once or twice at the dance before stonily ignoring it.

Leta laughs, "the trolls are so tall most of us can duck if we're not blue"

A shadowcat slides around Dagmar's ankles

Biding his time until he can reasonably leave, he sticks off to the shadows where no one can ask him to dance. Not that anyone would. Well, Ann-Marie might, and that's a thought to scare even a sluagh.

"Hey, Lovecraft...." She steals a hen and crouches down. A hunk of meat is ripped off and offered out.

As the meat seems rare enough that the feline can imagine it might suffer, she gladly partakes

There's laughter and smiles and...oh, whoops, somebody screwed up, and the patterns off and "Keep going!" calls out Kerri. And the Chieftain and the Mountain are beaming and Sylvi is dancing happily, blushing each time she passes Colton...

Colton seems to have done this before, though he's not as graceful as Sylvi

The ribbons wrap around the pole in a crazy pattern.

"Ack" Zane calls out, "Got it in my horns"

She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment as the laughter drifts past. Another tidbit for the chimera, yes.

Lovecraft munches

Giggling as people are getting tangled ...especially difficult as the dancers are running out of ribbon length, and trolls have to duck LOW to go under passing ribbons.

Tove keeps playing, but movesto sit closer to Dagmar, perhaps tired of standing

The cat is likely to get the entire chicken if she wants, one scrap at a time.

Symon is smarter than I thought Lovecraft realizes

A white blur streaks by and snaps up the chicken scrap! Lovecraft yowls furious at this intrusion! And Oak, munches and licks his lips then wags at Dagmar

"Oh, bad dog!"

Okay, stops wagging

"You have to ask nice."

Apologetic doggie moan