#rivervale_lodge

He pauses inside the door to the kitchen, then announces, "Patrol, patrol, pay your tolls." But without much enthusiasm.

In the kitchen, Kerri hears the door open and then grins slightly at the command. "Oh, is it toll time again? Well, I suppose it's a good thing I made too much. Ease your feet, patrolman." She indicates that he should hop up on a stool.

And Sylvi and Jonas are gone.

"Patrol tolls for the leftbehinds and neverwents, for the toosmalls and the nexttimes. I'd like a someday sandwich, please, with extra stay-at-homes."

"Will a sliced Scotch egg do?" And she puts before him a Scotch egg sliced to reveal perfect concentric circles...yolk, white, sausage, breading.

"Only the most grownup patrol-ers have Scotch, you know."

He rests his head on the table next to the plate. "Do you get scotch when you're a left-behind too?" He pokes at the snack. "...Smells good, though."

Kerri watches him a moment. "Well...Connor, you know that we tend to be protective of our childlings."

"I'm always complaining, oh, oh, it's terrible. I hate it, I do." He picks a crumb and sniffs it. "But I could help. I really could."

((Pausing until we're all awake again))