#rivervale_lodge

"You and Sy are regular, you're alright."

"I meant older boys, Connor. " She nods

"Like Jaymes?"

"Well, there's this in between space..fine, we'll keep the boys too. Wouldn't want Tove to sulk" She says magnanimously

"Woo! I was worried I'd have to lostboy and not get any older, but then I'd not get any bigger and never reach the Good Shelves in the kitchen."

"At least lostboys can -fly-."

"So can Gerd. And it sounds like Tove."

"Gerd is a good jumper but I never saw her -fly-. Can she? Really? I tried to jump high enough to stick before, but my pixie dust must've gone stale and then there was the coming-down. I almost had no legs left." He professes solemnly. "Snap, crackle, pop."

Speaking of Gerd, there's a bounding down the steps 'uhm, do I smell Peanut Brittle?" Gerd peeks in

"I guess maybe it's just jumping? I dunno."

"Hey Squirt."

He tugs at Dagmar's arm, his expression solemn. "You have to know for SURE. Before you go up, and then have the coming-down. Here, see?" He pulls up his jeans to show a scrawny, rather dirty leg and jabs a finger at it. "They aren't supposed to bend HERE, or HERE."

"Hi, Dagmar..." She bounds over to SIv "Uhm.,.ccan I..."

Siv offers her the jar, and Gerd takes one "Yay!"

"Noted, sure!"

Siv glances over at Connor "Connor, when's the last time you had a bath or shower?"

He peers up at her, as though he can read whether she REALLY listened, before judging that she understood and letting go of her sleeve. A hopeful tone. "I didn't get a peanut briddle yet either, Gerd."

Gerd look at Connor "Then what's that on your lips?" The young girl points with her free hand and keeps her own peanut brittle in the other

He swallows guiltily. "Um. Kibbles and bits?"

"Ahem," Siv clears her throat and tries again "Connor, when's the last time you had a bath or shower?"

Gerd munches her peanut brittle a bit quicker now as if to protect it

"Oh, he's fine...."

"He's kind of dirty, and I'm a slob" Siv says in a stage whisper to Dagmar

She shrugs. "Doesn't seem that bad to me."

"I did so! The river rolls over and scrubs and then I shook out with Edel and Oak, and rolled in the good flowers so I don't smell wetdoggish."

Gerd says "Well, Peanut Brittle is for people who take baths in tubs" Munch munch

His ears droop a bit at Gerd's disapproval. "I smell?"

A finger rubs his nose. "My sniffer didn't say it was any wrong."

"It's okay, Connor. YOu can have peanut brittle," Siv says giving Gerd a look then back to the boy "Just, sometimes tub time is nice. you might like it more than you think, and a shower a day is a good idea"

"Baths are nice, though."

"Like, just soaking?"

Gerd nods "I have a rubber duck"

"I don't mind it, just no one -said-." He shrugs a bit, turning in a circle - his nose twitching as he tries to catch his own scent. "Matti would heat up kettles and kettles and fill up the tub, and we made marshmallows on the fire while they heated, and it didn't matter if you got all sticky then because you'd go in after. But I haven't had marshmallows in forever-ever-n-ever."

"Maybe we could make a fire and have some?"

"Smores or the like" Siv agrees

He nods approval of this idea, tail flashing.

"I like it when you set'm on fire."

"Just, you know, a little bit.

Gerd grins at that, "Me too"

"Foom!"

Siv laughs, then looks at the jar, "Oo I better put these away before we eat them all. Don't want the Hearth angry"

"Hell no!"

"We could make more. I know where peanuts are, and then, ummmm." He eyes the jar speculatively. "Bark?" He guesses?

"I don't think you can just bark at the peanuts until they behave..."

"Or put peanut butter on bark" Siv makes sure

"I could -try-." His tail wags.

"I made good pancakes, right?"

"Yes, that was funny" Siv grins, and is gone into the kitchen... Connor might hear ONE More crunching sound.

A sly look over to Dagmar. "You didn't get any pancakes - I could make you some another time?"

"Maybe! I like pancakes"