#rivervale_lodge

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At the Wayburton House, Zane has been acting like he's won the award for Cool, seriously smug

but he's also hiding something.

Piper might notice.

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At the lodge itself, Colton has discovered Malcolm, newly dream danced Eshu, has decided to snowball fight random targets then run away yelling 'victory.'

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Anyone going near Vali's home however must truly beward for the nocker girl there has made a semi automatic snowball launching repeater boomstick

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The school? Folks are in danger of tuning out because well, Holidays are closer

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And Symon finds himself in Rivervale lodge

With Gerd at his side

He checks the time on his phone, to see how long the flash took them to get from A to B.

Ten minutes. Not bad

Not much seems changed at the lodge except his keen eyes notice a blank magazine in a shelf.

He compliments Gerd on the speedy transit, before drifting over to glance at the cover.

Blank, save for in the top corner words saying in simple black font 'Brought to you by Imaginated Entertainment, ,just add glamour'

He squints at it, then glances back over to Gerd. "Hey, Elvira. What do you know about this?"

Gerd looks at it, "Nothing really I've been... " A dreamy look on her face for juuust a sec before she slaps it down mentally "busy" Casual shrug

He gives it a suspicious look. "I'm not putting my glamour into any mystery box. For all I know it could be a mimic with fanged pages, or a cursed magazine that sucks you onto the centerfold." A moment's pause before he gives her a sly grin. "But you're not afraid to try it, I bet."

"Nice try, El Diablo, but I've got my own temptations. Pass" She says looking at it dubiously

He slides it back onto the shelf with a cautious fingertip. "The padawan is wise. How about some tea before I head back? Rome was practically a dry county. What I found in the bottom of their pantry was too old even for me."

"Sure, I think the Hearth has a truckload to send on the next shipment. " And Gerd prepares tea, she's gotten to become quite the aficionado and offers quite a few types, "We'll just tell your step mom my flash took an hour or so if need be."

He watches, a bit impressed despite himself. "Have you ever tried pu-erh? It's fermented and aged. They say it can stay good for up to 50 years. It's a bit... hm. Musky? But as a pro-tip, I've found that it tends to appeal to most sluagh's palates. Break that out if you're entertaining some time and it might win you a few brownie points."

"Ooo, thanks," She says, "Look, I'm no boggan, but you might want to be cautious around Dagmar when you see her."

He glances up from the cup where he was watching the cream slowly spread across the surface in an oily slick. "She okay? Still feeling... green?"

"I think she's leaning summer side again, but not sure. I do know she and Adam broke up. She dumped him, but she's kind of holed up. Look, she and I don't always.. mesh well? I don't think it's intentional, it's just when I was a childling she was this 'oo new big sister', now I'm a wilder and it's more... clash of styles and different expectations lead to head butting. But she's hurting and I can't help her. I thought maybe you she could talk to, if she wanted to talk?"

A sip of her tea, "So welcome back, go fix your friend if she needs it?"

A scowl creeping over his face like a storm slowly forming on the edge of the horizon. "What did he-" He pauses, and rephrases. "Do you know why she dumped him?"

"Whoa, whoa , easy there... far as I know, Adam didn't do anything wrong. Otherwise, I'd drop his ass in Lousiana and he could WALK back"

"He better not have. That guy... he comes in with a chip on his shoulder and an entitlement complex, ready to pick fights, look for handouts then bitch about what he doesn't get. If he played that card and hurt her, there might not be enough left for the Lousiana swamp gators to serve up for afternoon tea."

"ooo, nice turn of phrase," She admires, then says "Actually, credit to Adam, when the dragon died, the guy was there, standing guard over a rath and nearly died keeping a fae poisoing chimera down." A glance to Oak "He had help," then looking back, "But as full of himself as Adam can get, I think, overall, he's a good guy."

"Though I can see why you might resent him wanting things on easy mode. Lord knows, you busted your ass for this lodge, and while you might not always see it, we are grateful." A sip. "Dagmar's lucky to have you for a friend. And the Chief likes you"

A shrug, still half-glaring into his teacup. "I'll talk to her - if she wants to talk. Thanks for the head's up."

"Welcome, and yeah 'if' is always the big thing, " A sigh, "As for beyond that, I don't know what else you missed exactly. Siv seems to be everywhere. I've been... " A light blush "Distracted. Sylvi, as you know, visited Colton, and the Chief... the chief has gotten political"

"She should take care. If she keeps this up, someone may take offense to her claiming lodges left and right." A sip of the tea.

"Oh someone already has" Gerd rolls her eyes "Stay away from Nadeen right now"

A snort. "Because she was topping my list to go hang out with." Still, interest flickers at the gossip. "She wanted Rome?"

"She wanted a hold, but is told 'hey don't marry or nothing we can get you set up as a Liason and you can politic that yadda yada' and no hold is available. BLAM.. suddenly ... old balefire reborn... and.. the Chief is off," A sip "And does not even consider for a second that there's a baroness who would rule it well. NOt saying Nadeen would, but she's miffed she wasn't even considered or so it seems. Not that the Chief is a share your thoughts kind of gal"

"It doesn't matter how well she might have ruled it - she wasn't blue enough to even be considered. The Chief had decided before the bale was even rekindled that it would be a troll lodge, and locals opinions be damned. I get her reasoning, but I doubt she's making any friends."

Gerd ponders "I .. in my past life too.. what I do remember from the old man... I dont' recall the Chief doing this. But I think, with all the lodges taken over the last twenty years, maybe something has set off in her that this is a strength, and you use your strength to protect"

"Yeah, and I see that. But I can see how the locals may see it too. What one sees as protection another can see as.. mmm. Overbearing. Knowing better than you what is right and needed. Too tightly bound to the past to let things grow in a new direction. ...I don't like to say it, because it's not quite the same, but it's almost bullying, in a way."

"mm so diplomacy work is needed. Maybe it's a good thing Sylvi is visiting, but Colton needs to focus her less on the nobles and more on the locals you say? Show some respect and courtesy?"

"I really think that what it would take to win them over would be to allow the locals - or even just ONE of them - a position of some sort in the lodge. Prove that they're not just going to... I guess, set up a Troll fort and let anyone else come in on sufferance and glean the scraps."

"mm.." Gerd nods "I'm... not anybody to give others advice but I think I'll let Colton know if you haven't already. Maybe the Chief too though she's swamped" A sip, "you mean like Dirk and his Peacekeeper honorific?"

A shrug. "It's a start. And yeah, I mentioned it to Colton. ...I don't want to make a name for myself as some sort of political radical, either."

A smile, "So, should we simply refer to you as Rivervale's Prime Intelligence Operative?"

"You're of the lodge as far as we're concerned, but if you want an honorific of your own, you've earned it"

"Nah. Appreciate it, but that's a slippery slope to a statue." He shakes his head ruefully. "And if I am a spy, it would be a shitty move to brand it on my a- ...forehead." A grin.