#rivervale_lodge

The morning after, Zara is an early bird - padding off barefoot in quest of tea, without waking the trolless.

Siv can be an early riser hrself, but currently snoozes on the cot.

Which has been getting a work out lately.

Tea would be in the kitchen, as would the childling troll girl who is working on pancakes? Yes. Pancakes

No need to disturb her new friend, or anyone at all... even if she needs to make use of a step stool to reach things in the kitchen...

Or.. oh. People.

Zara's sharp ears would tell that Kerri is working on laundry down a narrow corridor from the kitchen.

Gerd appears 10 ish going on 11ish? She works well on the pancakes, and..is not doing a bad job of it. It would appear she's been learning.

...well enough that Kerri's willing to leave her unsupervised at the stove, yes....

She's humming as she works, even at 10 she might be taller than Zara, who she has not yet seen.

Maybe for the best... the sluagh considers her escape...

Zara sees a snowdrift move towards her. Oh, that's one of the dogs.

At which point Kerri appears from the corridor with a basket of clean clothing. "How's it going, Gerd? Oh, Zara...you're up. Good morning."

Eyes wide - dog and Hearth and attention, all at once! "Ah - aye... good morning, yes.."

Oak, who had been hoping to parly his (better) but still slightly injured paw into a snack backs away from his path to the kitchen at sight of Kerri. She's not so eeasy to sway as Gerd.

Gerd calls out, "I got like 10 of them so far, is that enough ? I mean, I'm not sure it is."

"Not with Siv recovering, it's not." Kerri says. "Make as many as you can manage. I'll make more batter if we need. And let me know if you want me to take over, though you've been doing fine so far."

"Zara, can I fix you some tea?"

"Tea would be lovely, aye..."

"It's okay, I like cooking" Gerd says happily, "I just wish I could do the fancy shapes."

"oh, our guest is awake" Hearing the whisper.

"I'll set it up." Kerri nods, setting aside the basket. She fills the kettle while checking over Gerd's shoulder. "Some shapes are fancier than others, but I can teach you a bit. Nothing like what the experts can do, but fancy enough to make...oh, say, flower patterns?"

"Oh I'd like flower patterns" Gerd says then "Oh, can I learn lightning bolts? Dagmar loves lighning bolts.."

"Sure, we can do that." The kettle is on to heat. "Not right now, though. Maybe this afternoon."

"Thank you, Hearth..."

Being in the lodge is very different from the Farm. Both are lands of Giants, but there Zara has different buildings and areas to run to. Here it's more like being in somee great wooden castle of giants. She almost expects to see a beanstalk outside and a harp singing on its own near the hearth.

"Zara, I have some food set aside...would you mind if I give you the containers and let you select what you'd like for breakfast? It lacks in presentation, but..."

Gerd chimes in helpfully, "We have some old Korean food we got in case of Symon. It's like mega old now"

"Oh, yes, that's up there, too." Kerri fetches down a few tupperware and a jar or two, and sets them on the far end of the kitchen table, near Zara.

"I.. I do not mind, no, that is very kind..."

...and provides her with a delicate plate...it seems out of place in trollish hands. "Are you familiar with Symon, Zara? He is a sluagh in this barony."

She nods. "Aye. We shared a mentor."

Gerd doesn't know how not to involve, "Symon's okay. A bit creepy, but he likes it that way. "

"Really? Well, we do have an oddly small world." Which may be funny coming from a troll. "Now, for teas, we have orange pekoe and Earl Grey, but also some chamomile and mint. Preference?"

Zara plates some greenish-grey scrambled eggs and a sad croissant. "Aye. It is important to embrace a bit of the macabre."

"Earl Grey, please?"

"What's Macabre?" Gerd asks "I got twenty three pancakes"

"Mmm.. things of beauty and darkness both. Sluagh are children of moonlight and shadows, not the sun."

"Well done, Gerd. That should keep us for a while." Kerri sets up the tea pot.

"Some people say the Roald Dahl books are macabre, if that helps," Kerri suggests by way of example. "But sluagh really embody it."

"Good, because I think we're out of batter" Gerd says no longer needing to hop down or anything. She's a big kid now. She moves towards Zara but not too close. "Oh! Like the boy who got stretched. "

"...Mike TeeVee?"

"Aye. I like Dahl. Matilda, in particular."

A sudden thud against the front door, and a scrambling sound as it is unlatched and a boy tumbles inward, panting and gasping for breath, fair coated with snow dusting over his shirt and jeans - sock feet and no coat.

He pops to his feet, hand to his chest as he gasps for his breath. "I... I..."

"uhm...you should wear socks"

Kerri hurries out of the kitchen at the noise, first to hush the boy while Siv is still sleeping before the balefire, but then she grabs him up in warm arms and hurries him back into the kitchen where the others are. "What happened?"

Gerd says helpfully

"I smelled pancakes!!"