#rivervale_lodge

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At some point, when Gerd manages to gloom-and-doom her way into the kitchen for a snack, she encounters Kerri washing dishes. The Hearth smiles. "Gerd, help me out with drying for a minute." It's a request, but Hearth-style.

Gerd sighs, rolls her eyes, and complies ..which is by pre teen standards is warm and cuddly. SHe grabs a towel and starts drying

Kerri accepts this in stride. She's been on this merry-go-round a few times. She sets clean dishes in the rack for Gerd to work on. "So...something I wanted to suggest. Something Sylvi and I did. How would you like a women's day out?"

"A woman's day out?" SHe says cautiously "I'm done with flowers on my dresses and ..the baby stuff"

Kerri nods. "Yes, that's fine. So, a women's day out can be whatever you feel you want it to be, for the woman you want to be. It can be a spa trip and a restaurant and shopping, which is what Sylvi and I did for hers. Or it can be a road trip with no particular destination, make it up as we go along. Or it can be an athletic adventure, like rock climbing or a ropes course. Or whatever you think works for you. The point is, I'll help make it happen, and it's your day. It can be just you and me, or we can have some other young women along, like Sylvi and Siv and Dagmar. It's up to you. What do you think?"

"Can..can we go music shopping? " A bite of her lip "Tove sings nice so does her dad, but I'm ... you know, stretching out and... I need music of my own."

"Sure! I sort of thought you'd want to do that online, but absolutely." She laughs a bit as she finishes washing the last dish. "I'm a bit old-fashioned that way, I guess. Not sure the old record store I go to would have stuff you'd like. Hmm...let's think where to go. Maybe you could ask some of your friends? And would you like to do anything else besides that?"

"Well, Vinyl is best..." she says

Then "I'd also like to get some new clothes, but like.. dark?" Dubious. "I don't think Uncle Vali is crazy about the goth thing but..." A shrug

"...but this isn't about your Uncle Vali. This is about you, and you get to decide who you are. Now...I will ask that you don't throw everything that your Uncle Vali says to the wind. He's got good reasons for wanting to protect you...but that shouldn't mean trying to keep you like a bug in amber, never changing." A nod. "So...a trip to a vinyl record store, and then to Hot Topic, and maybe a bad-for-us lunch somewhere in there."

"Or even a not-so-bad for us lunch, if that's what you prefer." A wink.

"Thanks I.. thought about a diet" she says looking down at her self.

A pause as Kerri regards her. "Really? Tell me why?"

"Well, mostly I don't want to get fat. And...you know the whole 'all about that bass' song is nice, but it flops in the real world. I mean, Erika says that all it takes is willpower to keep you from becoming more than a fat pig, and my BMI is...close so I.."

"So I figure I can keep it down before it starts"

"Well..." Kerri continues to regard her. "Okay. That would be a combination of balanced diet and exercise. I don't think that's a surprise to you or anything, right? And I'm guessing Erika is a mortal friend?"

"yeah, she's got the goth thing down. Skinny as a sluagh"

A pause. "Gerd...is she healthy?"

"Well...I guess?" Gerd shrugs "She eats... she just ah... I mean... the goth look, pale and skinny is good so yeah?"

"I've seen plenty of goths who aren't skinny. And Gerd...while some mortals can manage that appearance and be healthy, many others cannot. You say she eats...but...is she doing something else unhealthy to keep her weight down?"

"Of course not" Gerd says "That would be stupid"

"And mortals are never stupid?" A serious look.

Something clicks, and Kerri kenns Gerd quickly as the girl finishes putting away the last of the dry dishes.

"Erika's cool" She says...

Kenning reveals maybe the girl is a bit unstable from her closing togail...glamour banality balance wise, but that itself mighjt cloak other sources of glamour or other flirtations with banality

Further, Gerd has lost weight, a little, but with the changes her body is going... it was easy to wave off as her just getting taller

Kerri is stunned. I didn't see it. How did I not see it? But she keeps her voice even. "She probably is cool. Is she a friend at school?"

"Yeah. I'd invite her to the togail but fae only"

"True...but maybe she can be part of the woman's day out. Either way...I'd like to meet her." If she goes to this school, she's local. "What's her last name?"

"Renner" she says "She's thinking of changing her name to Shadowqueen"

"Her first name or her last?" Kerri's mind is going a mile a minute. Could be a banal mortal...could be a pre-chrysalid...could be an autumn person...could be there's a nervosa involved...

"I guess just one name, like Cher..." She gestures stretching the word out "Shadowqueen.. I think it might be a bit much, but you know, her thing."

"Yes...different people, different preferences."

She gets Gerd a glass of juice, but slips a bit of glamour into it, just a touch, hopefully not enough for the girl to notice, but enough to strengthen her a bit.

"I can invite her along I guess, not sure Erika hangs around old people that much, no offense."

A smile. "None taken. I didn't like to hang around 'old people' at your age, either. So...did you and the Mountain decide when to have the togail?"

She gives the time, wow it's soon

"Oh! Well...then time to get your menu order, Miss Thing." A wink. "What should we have for your special day?"

"Well.. I did just talk aobut diets, but is a DARK chocolate cake for dessert okay? The main meal, maybe fried chicken? If Lovecraft comes by she can have some"

"I think I can manage that. You won't mind if I add some other options on the side?"

"Course not, your food is really good"

A smile. "Why, thank you. Here, drink that, and then I think we're done for now."

"Okay, " She drinks then "It's good" Either she didn't notice the glamour infusion or she jjust enjoyed it "Thanks."

"I'm glad. Now...any laundry in your room that needs doing?"

"Yeah, a few things. I'll get them."

"Thank you." And as Gerd leaves, Kerri quickly finds her phone and texts Anne Marie. "I need info on a local mortal family, last name Renner, daughter named Erika. Urgent."

Text back: ?? Surely. Maybe a bit, but will make it first priority. Something I should be looking for?

TXT: banality, Autumn...but at the very least, eating disorder

TXT: Oh my stars! On it. Let me know if you need a body image counselor for whoever