#rivervale_lodge

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It is night, and Dagmar and Sylvi and Nadeen and Colton are patrolling

Patrolling is serious business. Absolutely no time for casual conversation. Nope....

..."but what the heck is statistics for? I mean, why can't you just average things out?"

"A lack of precision, perhaps?" Nadeen says

"Whatever, you and your fancy math..."

"Maybe you could use it to cheat at cards?"

"Well, somebody probably could, but that somebody won't be me." She shakes her head.

"Fair nuf."

Colton seems dutiful but does smile at Sylvi now and then "You're smart, you'll nail it."

"Well, they just did a little intro to it. Fortunately, I won't have to do it much, yet. Hopefully never." She returns his smile briefly, then goes back to keeping an eye on the surroundings. "Hey, we should do a loop near the Farm bridge."

"Seems reasonable" Nadeen says "Sadly we can't actually go onto it. Trods. Saining. Paranoid elders"

"Stupid rules. Let's go!"

"I just mean, check that nothing came off the trods that shouldn't have."

"Besides, you going on trods too much would be like...like Mom taking bread out of the oven too soon. You're not done baking, yet."

"I know, I know. But we can go LOOK at the trod..."

"Besides, it's only 42 days..."

They move towards the footbridge, the creek not frozen over, but it sure looks like it is considering it.

"You're not counting, though..." Sylvi smiles.

"Nope. Not at all."

Nadeen smiles

Colton says "42 days. Huh. Probably feels like forever..."Then he stops

A grunt.

Sylvi keeps going a few steps, then stops. "Colton?"

Indeed, he's frozen staring at something... when the girls turn, they see a chimera, beautiful, with green and white hair that resemble leaves. It looks like two or three other troll fellows are kneeling or sitting near her.

"A woodwife" Nadeen says

"A what?"

"...Do we smash it?" She reaches for her halberd.

But Sylvi might remember that there was a quest involving her dad and Frank where human souls became chimera... one of them a Dryad

One with a lusty reputation

iT would appear she's learned new redes

"Wait..." Sylvi says.

"She's...um...well, she's not an enemy...." But the bit with the trolls sitting around is making her cautious.

"But that doesn't seem good, either..."

"Somebody tell her to stop it."

"No..." And she looks at Colton again...and pokes him.

Colton starts surprised then "Ah.. uhm" A blush

A bit of a frown....and then she steps towards the woodwife. "Um...hi? What's going on?"

The chimera looks a bit like Miss Evergreen, but Miss Evergreen isn't so...what's the word?

"I'm just collecting play things" The Dryad says

Dagmar likes Miss Evergreen, but...

A scowl. "I don't like this."

She strokes a fellow's face "They're all such good young men."

He stares adoringly back

Sylvi frowns. "No. They're not playthings."

"Oh fie, why should I care what you say? You are not chief. Your chief is away. Do you know she owuldn'

wouldn't let me play with the Mountain? When I owed him So much and wanted to thank him as I was sure he'd like?" A purr

Nadeen snorts "Oh, I see. She's bold because she thinks this time no one will stop her"

Dagmar scowls. "You don't DO that to people!"