#rivervale_lodge

"Hills, you know, you gotta beat."

"There are two high schools in the district, Piper: Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills. The rivalry is predictable."

"Oooooh. Well thank GOODNESS we're not orange. It's not a good color on me." A grin. "I was thinking of a blue. I suppose green might show school spirit, but I'd bet that as it fades on my blond it would end up looking like I have sewer-hair, and I don't need a 'Swamp Thing' nickname chasing me around.... and I KNOW Zane would do it."

"I don't mean to sound old fashioned, Piper, but I think your hair is lovely right now."

"I like blue."

"Maybe split the difference, and do, like, a teal?"

"Oooh." She blushes a bit and gives Kerri a smile. "I appreciate that. Just... kinda thinking, if I'm making a change, why not let it show? I'm lucky in that my hair is so pale. I don't have to do any bleaching."

"Well, Sylvi is far better than I at this...but I keep imagining a sparkly effect."

"Like...a silvery glitter?"

"I'm not bad with a jar of Manic Panic or some koolaid... dunno about fancy stuff."

"But that sounds pretty. Like stars!"

"Ooooh. Do you think it would last long enough for Pennons? I could touch it up."

"That sounds amazing."

((No idea when Pennons is!))

"Manic Panic would, for sure."

Kerri lets the girls work out the details. She puts the sticks Connor gathered into a small teepee arrangement.

"Maybe you could put in some glitter extensions?"

"Maybe? If they're cheap enough. It's too early in the year to just find tinsel, sadly. Last year I had these battery powered tiny lights for yule that I strung on my horns - tis the season!

"Oh, fun!"

"There's a Sally's by the Wal-Mart... every color you could want, there."

A pause. "Maybe I could do a little?" She touches her curls.

"I bet you could pull of a lot of colors I can't. My skin is so pallid, that any ginger or orangey or reds make me look sick."

"Connor!" Kerri calls. "I'm going to light it."

She nods. "Don't want that... but I don't want to bleach it, it'll get weird."

"I mean, it's kinda blonde. I'm pretty redbone."

Connor whoops from out in the woods and comes barreling back with a handful of sticks. " Oh, I brought enough toasty sticks for everyone. Where are they?"

"Hey Connor!"

"Oh...you mean...these?" Kerri indicates the teepee. "I thought those were for the balefire."

"Also that! It's gonna be eleventy-hundred stories tall and torch the sky! Any dragons that show up will get their bums burnt off."

"Fwoom." Soberly.

"Ah. Well...that might be too hot for the marshmallows, Connor. Let's start small." And she lights the tinder under the teepee, using a good old mundane lighter.

"Maybe dragons like marshmallows, and when they show up they really just want to light bonfires and tell stories, but no one knows because they always arrow 'em when they come by?"

"Well...I'm certain that some dragons are like that. Dragons like Puff, for example."

"Oh, I love that song." Piper chimes in.

A sigh and a smile.

"Did you know, Puff found other kids?"

"Not just Jackie Paper, he finds new ones, so neither one of them are alone?"

Kerri smiles at Dagmar. "I'm glad you helped him."

Kerri builds the fire as it takes hold of the sticks.

"You -met- Puff?"" She sounds delighted, and Connor likewise.

She nods. "Me and Siv, yeah."

"We were testing the Narwhal, and we went to the sea of Hona Lee."

"He's...." She closes her eyes, expression softening. "He's wonderful, he's exactly what you think."

Connor tugs solemnly at Dagmar's sleeve. "Tell me? Again? I want to be Jackie Pupper."

"Well, okay. You know the start, right? Puff the magic dragon, lived by the sea..." She's no Tove, not by a long shot...

The fire going well, Kerri deputizes Dagmar with the marshmallows, gives Connor a kiss on the head, and smiles to Piper. "Everybody enjoy, please."

Piper softly hums the tune along, watching Dagmar to make sure that she doesn't look offput by the accompanyment, as the story is told.

And she goes inside, leaving the younger set to enjoy.

She doesn't - singing simply, and encouraging Connor to join in on the refrains.

Piper's humming probably helps a great deal!