#rivervale_lodge

“A lot of times they’ll catch them, cut the fins because that’s the valuable part, and toss the shark back to bleed to death. They’re apex predators that have been around longer than us, but people are fu-“... A glance to Jaymes. “Jerks.”

She listens, and frowns. "That's fucked up."

"It's okay, you two can talk like that when we're fishing around me, because it IS fucked up" He agrees, "But don't let your guardians know how loose I am on that rule, okay?"

"I mean, if you're gonna kill something, you oughta... it... that seems mean."

A nod to Dagmar, "Wasteful and cruel"

"Yeah."

“A lot of sharks are endangered because of this. They don’t breed until,they’re like, 30.” His voice showing how ANCIENT that is.

"Wow..."

"I sympathize" Low mutter

“I wonder why the merfolk don’t stop them.” A glance at Jaymes, and he can’t help but smirk as he catches that.

"There's mermaids, too?"

"Sea dreams are strong dreams" He says

“I like the Murdhuacha... I’d like to meet one some day.” A hand held up.” And no, don’t ask me to spell that, it’s nothing like how it looks.” Thoughtful. “They remind me of the fish men from Innsmouth...”

"I think you know more about the Mer than I might" Impressed

"But, trust me, you won't like the Murdhuacha if they're what I think they are"

“I asked after reading Shadow Over Innsmouth... I don’t know much more than that they’re out there.”

"MurdhuACHa."

“Some call them Merrow too... that one I can spell.”

"They anything like the Creature from the Black Lagoon? Or Abe Sapien?"

"Thallian by any other name"

A small frown.

"Sorry, but Thallian are bad news. we're talking not just Unseelie Unseelie, but twisted servants of the Fomorians if tales be right"

“Half of what bogies do composes most of what slugs are blamed for...”He admits, reluctantly. “I just don’t like the idea that they’re just -evil-. It’s bad writing, lazy.”

Softly, fingertips still in the water. "Some people are just evil, though."

"Arguably, it's also classic mythology though," he says "How many stories of evil so profound that there is naught left in i have you heard? Naturally the Dreaming can accept extremes"

“It’s like Cthulhu. The thing that should not be, beyond mans comprehension, just evil...” somewhat besotted p, from his voice.

“People are just people though.” A twist of frown. “They have a choice, so when they’re nasty, it’s even worse, because they didn’t HAVE to be.”

"Isn't that what evil is, though?"

"Like, a shark ain't evil for eating someone, because they're a shark."

“Thalliain don’t have a choice, what I understand. They’re made that way. And if you understand that, you know how to deal with them...”

"Don't." A frown, "If you value your existence, do not deal with the Thallian. The Dreaming may tolerate them but they don't tolerate it"

He doesn’t respond, picking at some bit of mud or something stuck between his toes.

"...Do you think the bug guy is a Thallain?"

“The Entomancer? I dunno. If they’re willing to go full dauntain... it could be anything. I don’t know if Thallain want to kill the dream more than any others, they need it too. ...but they might be more ruthless.”

"What's a dauntain?"

"Dauntain are Changelings who have embraced Banality to the point of turning against their own kind. they're pretty bad news. More dangerous than Thallian in a straight up fight I'd say"
4

"..oh." She sits on the bank, watching the water. "Ok."

"Don't worry, Dagmar, whatever he or she is, we'll stop them"

"Well, giant bug chimera don't seem very banal - right?"

"True 'good sign' weirdly enough"

“You learning to fight with that flyswatter?” He points a toe towards the halberd nearby.

"Need to."

“I bet you’d even enjoy it.” A shake of his head - he has a pass to skip gym class, and spends that time in the library instead.

"It's nice, yeah. Feels right."

"Vali and I will pass on some things" A nod to her, "She's got the muscle and she's smart. She just needs experience"

“Which one is Vali? Not sure I saw her. But Beltain was a blue blur.”

"Vali's a guy."

A duck of his head.

"Sir Vali ap Beaumayn, he patrols a lot. More social than I am about it."

"He's Gerd's... uh.. cousin? Uncle?"