#rivervale_lodge

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Gerd comes in. "Connor? "

He twists around from where he was sitting, too close to the TV, and scooches over a bit. "You wanna watch Power Rangers?"

"Sure.." She sits down next to him. She's got a bag , a gift bag.

He leans his head on her shoulder as the Voltron cartoon plays. "When do you think I get my giant robot?"

She looks at the bag, but doesn't move away "Ah, well, hopefully soon. I'm afraid I can only tell you when you get dinosaurs"

A commercial comes on, and he escapes from the colorful hypnotic cartoon's grasp. "Oh, what's that? Is it Connor Day again already? I like Pee-terrydactyls."

"Not for Connor day, because I felt bad leaving you for a little while Like I did... not sure I told you I'd be gone. So this is my apology" She reaches into the bag and pulls out a shirt "This is yours. I thought you'd like it. If you don't? It's okay."

(Only without a person in it, and Connor sized)

He gives her a big hug. "I didn't even notice you were gone. Did you have a lot of fun without me? I never go on crazy adventures, but it's okay because tee-vee will do all the adventuring for me and I just have to watch it."

"Oh you'll have some adventures.." She promises, "Like the snow man we're gonna make when winter gets here and it snows? I mean.. SOMEONE has to do it."

He hugs the shirt to his chest. "Can we make a snow dinosaur? We can use bark for the spikes."

"That's..brilliant" She says impressed, "I never would have thought of that"

He reddens just a bit. "It's obvious, that's why it falls off sometimes, because it wants to be a dinosaur. And, and we could maybe use food colors to make 'em look really real. I bet we could even scare Dirk if we made one big enough! But then he'd probably eat it. OMF NOMF NOMF. Like a giant snow cone."

A laugh, "You're all right, little bro. " A thought "Tell you what, you want to go anywhere after the show? you know, outside? we don't have snow but we've gotl eaves"

"Oh look it's over! The TV is broken." Beeeooop, he pushes the off switch. "Can we play with the leaves that are still up on the branches?

"Gosh, to do that, someone would have to climb a tree. Know any tree climbers?"

"I know some grasshoppers. They could be leaf hoppers if they tried hard enough."

"Come on then, kiddo." She grabs him, puts him up on her shoulders, and heads outside with him

"Woop!" He woops, and is ferried onward!

Much fun will be had (End Scene)

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When Brekke returns from a lengthy patrol, she is striding with a purpose. She has received word that the adventurers are home, and she is eager to see them all and hear the tale.

Dagmar, having visited the Barn, is back - out of armor, but still vigilantly guarding the Dragonlance.

Siv has showered, cleaned up, and actually done a lot of chores and caught up on some school work collected for her.

Brekke enters the Lodge, giving the dogs a brief rumpling hello but far more interested in the two-footers in the room. "Siv. Dagmar." A pleased expression. "I am glad you have returned."

"Chief!" She grins.

She goes to Dagmar and rests a hand on her shoulder. "This looks like a sign of success," she says, indicating the lance.

"Hey mom," A smile

"It is! This is a Dragonlance. It's from D&D - it, well, you said you needed weapons that kill dragons..."

"Symon probably knows more details, but I think he's being caged by Anne Marie about now..."

Siv says "It's.. it's a dragonbane weapon mother. Maybe for one shot, we don't know, but it's...well, it will hurt the bastard"

"It is dragon bane, indeed." She nods, grinning at Siv's words. "If we use it well, one shot may be all we need with it."

"I will seek out Symon's counsel on it."

"Dad made us write down what we coudl remember while we could remember it" Siv says handing out a slim spiral notebook "I copied it all down in one thing for you"

"There was another Lodge hunting the same thing - they might still come here. I mean, maybe they should?"

Brekke goes to Siv, accepting the notebook and briefly pulling her daughter close before releasing her.

"They're Unseelie, but they were good fighters, followed Dagda. Their Hearth is a warrior, they said - and Vali said we'd need a Hearth, a Mountain, and a Storm..."

"Much as I respect Miss Kerri, I don't think she's a fighter?"

Siv returns a soft hug.

"Unseelie." A bit of a frown, then a nod. "Our Hearth will remain out of the fight. This working must, I think, bind together the efforts of multiple Lodges."

"If they follow Dagda, that is well."

"Aunt Kerri, you have to make sure she knows that she's still the best Hearth... being a warrior isn't supposed to be a part of it. But to be honest? I'd just as soon not have all three be from here anyway"

A blush "Not that it's my choice, but... well.. I can be selfish"

"Skallstryke threatens more than our Lodge, yeah?"

"Hm, my thinking as well, Siv. Rivervale has many fine young people who could fill our shoes if needed, but it would be better for there to be continuity."

She nods to Dagmar. "He does."

"Bristlepine..." She frowns, thinking.

Dagmar frowns. "Is it going to be JUST three against him?"