#rivervale_lodge

He is busy patting himself all over, as though taking stock of his limbs.... and then checks his pockets. A stricken look, and he slaps his forehead. “Oh, no! We forgot it!”

"Forgot what?"

"Huh?" Gerd says

"Did you lose something?" Gerd says, forgetting about her dirty dress

He looks to Dagmar, and points up. “We went to the moon, but forgot to bring back any cheese. How is the Hearth going to make moon cheese pie now?” A sad, sad face.

"Maybe Hearth Kerri has moon cheese already?" Gerd gives him a hug

“I thought she only had blue cheese.” He ponders this. “We could go check?”

"what do you think, Dagmar?" Gerd says

"I... sure?"

He takes Gerd’s hand, and reaches his other hand towards Dagmar. A little grubby from tree climbing (er, falling). “Maybe she has space crackers and sausage too. Space snausages!”

"She might. And maybe she has cookies." She takes the boy's hand.

Gerd shoots Dagmar a grateful look. Littler kids need support and they hafta do that for Conner "Maybe she won't ask too many questions"

“Like where is the cheese? Or like, ‘why you’re covered in moon dust?’” He asks, trotting along happily. “My secret is, just get your ears and paws wet in the stream, and you don’t gotta bath. But it IS getting cold.”

"Yeah, and Uncle Vali is big on showering"

"Too cold for the stream, at least."

"Yeah, yu'd be ad blue as we are, but not for the right reasons" Gerd says

"Baby wipes are good, too."

"Were not babies" Gerd frowns

"No, I mean... they ain't just for babies. If you don't have water, they work pretty good."

"Then why are they called baby wipes?" skeptical brow. Nothing worse than being called a baby when you're a big girl

"Because they are."

"I mean, that doesn't mean they're just for babies, that's just the name."

"Sounds like a trick on their part"

He trots along, thoughtfully absorbing this.

"I don't know who is in charge of naming shit."

"You need to put a quarter in the swear jar ...again" gerd says

She snorts.

“When it’s full, can we use the quarters to buy more swears?”

"I was thinking Popsicles"

It is Sally Mae who greets them, and she says cheese treats will be forth coming, but first.. a bath for conner

“Awwwwwwwwww! My moon dust!” He gripes, being hauled away....

"Oh it is goingg to be just fine..." Sally Mae says as she carries the protesting pooka off to his wet and soapy demise.

Gerd sighs "I'm pretty sure I'm next"

"Ain't that bad. Least you don't have to do it in front of other people. Wait until high school."

"Ugh. why do they make you do that?"

"Right? Sadists, all of them."

"...I sneak out around it. It's pretty late in the day."

"no wonder you sometimes smell" she observes

"I do NOT!"

"Well, anybody smells after playing and working hard, theyget a sweat" she says "And you don't gotta yell"

"Take it back." A glower.

"Take what back? you don't gotta yell?" confusion

"Sayin' I smell. Take it back."

"Why? Sometimes you do. Sometimes we all do" the little girl is both scared, confused, and a part of her feeling like someone is tyring to make her lie

"Shut up. You don't SAY that to people. Take it back."

She crosses her arms and gets quiet, but also looks defiant.

The dogs start to whine.

Sam glowers, temper and hurt hard to distinguish, and the latter feeding the former. "Take it back."

Gerd squeezes herself tighter, and shakes her head no.

Sam LOOMS over the younger girl. "You don't say that about people. What if I said YOU stink? Oh, it's Gross Gerd, all covered in mud. She's dirty and filthy and gross."