#rivervale_lodge

"If you try to chew it, they will hit you with it, your'e not a redcap" the sidhe squire says with a look of dignified suffering.

"I could be if I had the right hat!" Big chompy chomp gesture, and he dives for the end of the staff in Brogan's hand. "Raaaa!"

And the sidhe swats the pooka boy on the butt as he himself twists to the side

Brogan says "You might want to grab your own staff instead of biting. Might hurt less. How's your butt?" Not mocking.

"Yip!" He turns the dive into a series of somersaults, and then points to the staff, exclaiming, "Go Fetch!"

~fizzle ~

Tap on the head "Goose"

He looks at his pointing finger, and shakes the hand. "My finger is broken." A sigh, and he goes to pick up the other staff. "Fiiiiine."

"Thank you, fighting with staves and cudgels is an honored tradition in House Daireann and I can't get sloppy. Also you could stand to use a few lessons." The boy says with oh so serious face, "Every one knows the sting of battle at least once in their lives, but to stand against those stings, to rise again, and again, that is what makes a true warrior. " A pause "That and a certain degree of skillful and physical competence at arms"

"To arms! To arm!" He poses with the staff. "But if we right together, we have four arms, and then we are forewarned."

"I...that's actually clever" He says, but then rewards the boy with a testing jab, "Keep your guard up"

A nod, and he actually does work at it! As he corrects his grip on the staff - hmm, the spots where he chewed it a little are marks that remind his fingers the right place to hold.

That makes Brogan smile, "Good. Let's try some practice exchanges."

Connor does pretty well at holding up his staff to block the incoming taps, but hesitates when it's his turn to return them. "But what if I actually conk you?" Uncertainty.

"Then I shall be conked, and we have any number of healers to tend me, and I will have learned a valuable lesson on not to underestimate you"

"But what if I don't WANT to conk anyone? It seems rude."

"Well, one day..." The patterns of practice continue, "You might find conking someone is the only way to keep them from killing you or someone you care for! And as Gerd's brains spill out on the ground because you wouldn't or couldn't fight, it won't bring her back, and you'll realize then why you should have learned at least a little of the art of war. "

"Noooo!" He exclaims and flails with the staff, swinging with all of his (modest) might at Brogan's legs.

That surprised Brogan and while he catches the worst of it on his staff just in time, he nearly gets sent spinning. "Good. You also need control though"

He rubs his arm across his face where he is most certainly NOT on the edge of blubbering. "I don't like this game."

Brogan backs up, and stops. "Okay. We'll stop. " He feels kind of bad now .Darn pooka, inducing guilt just because you talk about someone they love being smashed.

He sniffles, a mighty effort, and gives Brogan a wavering smile. "Maybe I can use a shield? You can throw balls at me and I'll deflect them like they are arrows. Or laser beans. Or laser arrows."

"There is much honor in healing and haven as well" Brogan says putting the staff away.

"But maybe" A nod and Brogan offers a hand, "I'm sorry I upset you."

He gives his hand and shakes with Brogan. "The upset is in my head, you just spilled it out a little. It's okay. We can try again tomorrow?"

"If you're sure" he says "But for now, come on. I'll cook us some pie. I need practice in the kitchen too . You want apple or blue berry?"

"Apple! I like how it turns my teeth blue."

"Blueberry it is" He says and they head to the kitchen. The hearth has given him rules to follow, both of them, of course.

And follow them he does - at least in spirit, if not to the letter.

Brogan says "So how are your classes with wherever you go and Sir Vali going " Now that Sir Vali is a registered teacher, he can give lessons that legally apply.

He answers, once he has worked through an experimental mouthful of blueberries chased by a bite from a stick of butter. "Swimmingly. Well, they don't really let us swim, the pony got mad when I paddled in the horse trough, but it was REALLY hot that day. Vali lets me go swimming, and that's a ton more fun, even if he does try to tell me all this boring stuff about how the water 'vaporates and turns into clouds and pees down water again. I liked rain better before I thought of it as cloud pee."

"Maybe it's cloud drooll?" He suggests

He scratches his chin, leaving a buttery streak there, and grins. "It's cloud slobberin' time!"

"Ah.. yeah" the boy actually laughs

"Can we put cinnamon in the blueberries? And apples too? Because blue for trolls, but I'm too short to be one. I'm a plain ol' apple. Ummm you can be... like... maybe grapes? Fancy grapes? Can you make a grape pie?" He seems dubious.

"I can put some cream on it after, that's fancy" Brogan says. For a sidhe, he does seem to care a lot about how good his food is.

"I like whipped cream! It's not only fancy, it's schmancy. Are you sure we're allowed to use the oven? " His tail wags happily as he carefully works the rolling pin to flatten the crust, with only a few nibbles at the raw dough around the edges.

"I have to clea nit up after, and somethings I can't use but yes"

"What caaaaan't you use?" His eyes wide with curiousity.

"Well, like the ingredients she's going to use for dinner " he says

He jaw drops and he bounces in excitement. "Dinner?! What's gonna be for dinner??"

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone.."

His eyes grow soooo big and sad as he wrings floury hands before him. "But, I'm just curious you know... everything she makes is sooo tasty..."

"How can you need to know about barbecue porkchops"

"And lima beans"

Then he sighs 'Darn pooka"

"Barbequuuueeeee porkity-porkity0choppy-chops!" He does an impromptu dance, before tilting his head to once side. "Did you say slimy beans?"

"Yes. I think that's what Sally mae said. Don't use the lima beans"

"NO problem." Though he looks thoughtful.

"Maybe they won't make you eat them" he says noting the look