#rivervale_lodge

"So...so the sidhe think the Brotherhood should be involved with the Houses, but the Brotherhood doesn't see a conflict? Or...sees and advantage in getting inside the Houses?" Checking her understanding.

"Now there's the question... "A grin "When the Brotherhood yielded to the new Acccord, they ended up entrenched in the system. They used it against itself somewhat. For good or ill. In short, it's possible that a group of trolls out politiced the sidhe, even if it was only once. " A wink "I'm sure each and every one of them is a 'typical troll'"

Sylvi blinks at him a couple of times. "You...you're not just telling me this because of the Chieftain," she says slowly.

A brow "is that a question or a statement?"

"Um...kind of both? A...guess?"

A smile "Well, a guess is good. But given what it might lead to, why on Earth would I confirm or deny?"

A thoughtful frown for a moment. "Okay, then I have a question: How do you know what the Brotherhood of Thor is doing?"

"To know that, to really know that, I'd have to be a member, or at least be in their good trust" He says

A bit of a grin. "You're going to make me ask. Okay...Are you in the Brotherhood of Thor, Vali?"

He gets himself a drink "DId I ever mention i was Eiluned raised?"

"Yeah, but you're not Eiluned," she points out. "And since there are so many thinks that you do have to keep secret, when it comes to visions and stuff, then why would you want to burden yourself with the addition of more secrets, hmm?" A winning tone

"Oh you're good" he says impressed

"Years of practice. So?"

He reaches under his tunic and pulls out a hammer symbol "My import is little... not like I have a lot of pull"

A grin "I keep telling folks I'm a spy, no one believes me"

Her jaw drops in delighted amazement.

Then a devilish grin. "Code Name: Little Hammer."

"Ouch, that's a hard one to stick on any guy"

She giggles a bit. "Does Tiffany know?"

"No complaints, thank you" Lofty, then "Jest aside, it's not like I send secret missives. And I do not consider sidhe nobles an eneemy, far from it. But The Brotherhood is a part of troll heritage, and there are practical reasons to be in on it . Sometimes I have had to abandon a plan to go help a fellow member- fellow support network. "

"I'm hardly in an inner circle or or among the big names" Vali says

She nods, thinking again. "I guess that's a good sign. I mean, it's not like it's been all disruptive to the Lodge or the barony or anything and...." A blink. "Hey...wait...have you done Brotherhood stuff to support the Lodge?"

"I have never usurped, at least not knowing, the Chieftain, Mountain, or Hearth's authority " Vali says "Sometimes I can be thick, but I'm rarely subversive. But what troll doesn't try to guard in his or her way? And if my ways include connections" A shrug

She grins, acknowledging the qualification. "You are sneaky."

It's said with great appreciation.

A smile "Thanks. Guile and cunning are underappreciated Norse traits...but they can be used with no loss to honor if one remembers what matters in their use. I have spoke well of the Lodge to the Brotherhood, but always the truth. I have discouraged some who thought to do business a touch too shady in this barony, not with authority, but diversions and hints. That's the problem with using guile and cunning...one has to keep their wins on the downlow quite often. Otherwise they risk undoing the good "

An appreciative head shake. "And the Chieftain doesn't know?"

"Or my Mom?"

"As far as I know they don't know, but I've learned not to underestimate your mother, and Gwydions, well... if she ever asks she'd know if I weasaled. I don't think either would disapprove. As I suspect the Brotherhood is going to approach the Chieftain, it's not really proper for me to hide my minor association any longer from her I suppose."

Sylvi bites her lip and doesn't say anything, but she seems to be wrestling with a burning desire to know something else. It's not a well-hidden burning desire.

"Go ahead. Ask." Vali says

"It's...um..." A pause. "They haven't noticed...nobody's mentioned..." Then she shakes her head. "No, they wouldn't have, nevermind, that's silly."

"they might have, particularly if someone mentioned potentially like minded recruits" A shrug

"Oh! I...did...." And she clamps her mouth shut. After a moment, she blushes and says apologetically, "I'm ridiculously vain."

"And I suffer from a need to be funny- We all have our flaws, but if you can yoke that flaw, turn it into a an asset...into a strength." then "And you might like the Brotherhood. They're a bit heavy on nobles. But you're over that nasty resentment you had, at least not so much that it blinds you like it used to."

"Well...some are still royal pains in the ass," she says with authority.

"But yeah. I mean...having a knight for a boyfriend kinda makes a difference there."

"And say what you want about Count Hemlock, but as his core, that particular sidhe is a good man and cares for his folk. And Nadeen? Flawed.. but her love of her father is very relatable"

"I guess. But..they're just so...BOSSY." Resentful, but not as petulant as her younger self.

"I mean, that's really a big part of it. It's not just what they do...sometimes I understand what they do...but it's how they do it."

"They are... but that's not why we resent them, others can be bossy. We resent it because they're nearly irrestiable even without Soveriegn. A sidhe tells you 'fetch me that' and you reach for it before you think about it."

That gets an instinctive, quiet reaction that's more than simply an outward frown. "Yeah."

"Ever think they can't always help it?" Earl says "They lead like some trolls guard. Something needs order, the sidhe starts to take over. Someone gets threatened, a troll gets in front of them. Either can be annoying to the bystander who didn't ask for the help. "

A dark look. "Trolls can hit. Hard. But they remember how to behave. They remember the Code of Dagda. Sidhe should be able to behave themselves, too, and not expect gold stars when they do."

"Should" He agrees, "What of Baron Snowmantle? Did he demand a lot of gold stars?"

"No!" That gets a bit of a smile. "He was the most trollish sidhe I've met." Clearly high praise.

"Which just proves that it is possible. It's not like they can't help it."

"Maybe that's why they need trolls, to show how it can be done and give them expectations to live up to" A chuckle

A dubious look. "Sounds like a raw deal, sometimes. Here, you get all the responsibility for acting right, but they get all of the treats. It's like being a big sister, at least from what I hear."

A chuckle "Sylvi. Age aside? There are times you've been everyone's big sister." He rises "Come on, Champ. Let's raid the fridge for some drinks and snacks and I'll tell you a bit more about what I do know of the Brotherhood... including the fact a lot of the women in the Brotherhood think it's time to change the name"