#rivervale_lodge

"You need more mulch, Brekke?"

"I do not fear the dreaded Mulch Hands," she offers a hug to her daughter.

Siv actually laughs and hugs her mom "Good thing I'm a bit of a slob, or I would"

Siv gets an equally mulchy hug in return. "No, Frank, I think we have enough. For now."

Siv hugs her dad in return, then says "Oh... Gerd has 'run away'" One can almost hear the quote marks

"What?!!?!"

A blink. "Gerd has...you did not think this was important to say sooner?"

"She can flickerflash... if you think she's not rebelling by popping off when she htinks no one is looking..." Siv shrugs "And as I know where she is at all times, I'm not particularly worried about it" Siv says "See.. there's an ap on HER phone.. she doesn't know about it. I helped her set her phone up after all"

Frank rubs the base of his horns. "Ok. We'll need to talk about -that- too. But for now, where is she?"

"Hmm. I am of two minds about that app, but for the moment...yes, where is she?"

She pulls out her phone "Ah, yes... she's being a rebel in an record store in Kansas City.... and I would have told you both sooner, but I told Vali first. He's her guardian and all. He wanted to rush off, fuss and so on. but if he does that... it's going to make her worse. She neeeds to FEEL she gets away with things sometimes"

"Hmm." Brekke eyes Siv, then says to Frank, "I have a memory of a young girl-troll who insisted on riding in her own little coracle in the wake of the Kestrel for a week."

"Kansas City? Oh no...." Muttered.

"Yes, but we could put a tow-line on her and -see- her...."

"Dad.. it's not near 'him'" Siv says

"True."

"Sorry mom, can't hear you over the sound of how good a big cousin I am"

Then a sharp look at Siv. "Which 'him' do you mean?" A frown.

"The boggan da doesn't trust?" Siv says "And I am to avoid"

"Kansas City, at all." Frank points out. "Firnost, trod-central."

"Frank, I think Firnost is inevitable. Remember Sylvi's wanderings?"

"Dad. I'm not avoiding Firnost? Not sure it's possible to avoid firnost, place is like a magnet"

Then a nod at what her mom says

"Siv, I do not think we can go to retrieve her from there. She will not come with us, or will resent us. Do you think she will go with you?"

He sighs. "Sylvi, Jess, Siv....." A puff of laughter. "You, me...."

"Vali," she reminds, and nods.

"Vali." He nods.

"I'll go clean up and get her now" Siv says "Tell her "hey, guess what i'm ungrounded'"

A nod to Siv. "Agreed. And thank you."

Frank nods as well.

"Don't thank me mom" Siv says "It's family... " As if that's obvious "Family is...well... family. You don't have to thank for Family, it's part of who and what we are, part and parcel to us all." A raised brow "Surprised you hadn't been raised better than this not to know" bit of a sly smile as she retreats before she gets regrounded for cheekiness

As a result, all she gets is an eyebrow. "I think...we gave birth to a pooka in troll guise," she says to Frank as Siv makes a rapid retreat.

"Possibly. Need her to know it doesn't do to take family for granted." A frown.

"Mm. You are thinking of Jessica?"

He looks from Siv's retreat to Brekke. "Sure. Often. You?"

She looks at him. "You know that you never, even for a day, took her for granted, do you not?"

He nods somberly. "Of course. And I hope she knows that, too."

"As do I." A nod, and a sigh. "Firnost. Of course she would go to Firnost."

Frank sighs heavily.

"About the same age as Sylvi when she started going there, though, I think."

"Yes." He muses, thoughts distant.

She notes this expression. "Tell me."

"Mm. Billingsworth. Never did get back to him."

"Mm." A nod and a frown. "Did he seem willing?"

A shrug. "Seem? Yes."

A brief half-chuckle. "Ah." And she shakes her head. "Well...what do we need to consider, moving forward?"

"On which front?" Dryly.

"Managing him, and how much direct access he has to Jessica. And...long-term consequences. This would be in payment of his debt to me, but even that will only go so far. I do not want Jessica or Siv, or you or I for that matter, embroiled in his other doings."

Frank scowls. "I know. Me either. So."

"Still...he has the resources and connections."