#rivervale_lodge

"Huh, it worked" Jaymes muses.

"Of course it worked," Clem smiles at the moved tree, "My family's been handling plants of all kinds for quite awhile, Jaymes. I could take it back further if you like?"

"No no, she wants a kind of cover for the house, and so do I." He mentions, "Between this and heatherbalming that crack in the wall, I'm kind of ending up in DeBuke debt," He grumbles

"Yes, Mister King, it's all a vast conspiracy to have every lodge so beholden to us that if we ever get attacked they'll be obligated to come to our rescue" THe farm girl says with an absolutely straight face.

Jaymes eyes her, then grunts not sure what to make of it.

"He doesn't get humor," Another female voice, as Tove and her Father come in with the beams.

Jaymes' normally stoic face sparks a bit at the Skalds come in.

"I know you said not to get fancy with the wood," Tove said.

"No, I said you shouldn't worry about it, you're not a carpenter" Jaymes says unaware of how fussy he is, "Your hands were meant for art, for beauty not just making beams I..." Then he blinks at the smooth runic work woven in the beams.

"Well, fortunately I'm versatile," Tove smiles

"She'll love it," He says, "I can't think you ..you two, enough" He says to Torin as well

"Don't look at me," Torin smiles, "I taught her to skald, its her mother who taught her wood work" THe old grump smiles at his daughter. Who blushes at the double praise.

Then the blush vanishes, "Oh good lord, so much is still orange? WHy are you leaving that carpenting in there?"

"I'm not, " He says, "I thought Dagmar would like a chance to help rip some of it out herself. When she gets here."

"Thank Odin for that," Clem says "Exactly who thought Citrus was a fashion statment of interior design should be shot."

Tove nods, "It's horrible. I think really, we can do a lot with a backsplash, maybe something a touch aquamarine and darker blue highlights in that one room...."

Jaymes shrugs "I'm not really concerned about colors as long as they don't bother Dagmar."

Tove sighs "You didn't even look at those patterns I suggested? Did you?" eyebrow raise.

Jaymes wonders why that sounds like an accusation, "Well, like I said it's not that impo..."

Clem sees that Jaymes is about to put his foot in his mouth and says "I saw a few of those. I guess I'm too much of a tomboy still to really know the names of all the hues and colors, but whatever you call them the selections were really nice , and it was so kind of you to make the suggestions. Wasn't it, Jaymes?"

Jaymes blinks, then "Yes, " Another thought "Thank you" almost a question.

Tove smiles at Jaymes as if she's both pleased and two inches away from a put upon sigh but manages to stop it, "You're welcome. Let's get these beams under the tarp."

And they continue to work.

----------

Jaymes fiddles with the blue print

He scratches his head at the design

Dagmar tromps her way from the hold. TOTALLY walkable, yes!

Brekke does likewise...but is a good five minutes behind Dagmar, so as not to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Hey, Dagmar," He tucks the prints away , "Ready to strip away some carpenting?"

She's wearing the rattiest of her outfits - a t-shirt usually reserved for bed and jeans with worn hems. "Totally! Do I get a crowbar?"

"You know how to handle one?" He inquires

She shrugs. "What's the worst that could happen?"

His brow knits. Something him, a rudimentary 'father gene' that is only now waking up, warns him this is a dangerous thing to say.

But it's not quite kicking in yet, "Well, I'll show you how and then you take a crack at it."

"Cool!"

"So, this is the house?" Brekke follows the same approach that Dagmar took, looking at the house with interest. She looks at the structure and nods.

"Hey Brekke. Yeah! Isn't it ugly?" She grins.

"Yeah, this is it," He says "Dutch Colonial farmhouse thing I'm told. The interior is worse than the exterior"

Dagmar will notice something, some of the trees are further back from the house, but still there. Including her favorite still in view of her window.

"It's a barn. Hey! The tree moved!"

"Yeah, Clem helped out earlier, she also got rid of some of the more invasive ivy."

"It is...well, it presents opportunities, I will say that." A slight rumbling chuckle.

"The floors are solid?"

A curious look at the mention of a moving tree...but none of them seem to be moving at the moment.

"Are they Ents? Brekke, look, see those windows? That's going to be my room." She points.

"Oh yeah, strong floors, no bowing"

After all, Jaymes already knows.

"Today we're tearing out some of the carpeting over it though, May have to lay down some new hard wood in spots, but in others we won't need to. Oh, plenty of head room"

"Except the shower..."

Brekke looks at the indicated windows, and nods seriously. "The view must be good from there." Then she looks to Jaymes. "Well, let me help, then."