#rivervale_lodge

then he looks to the cookies and smiles "Thanks, Dagmar."

The smile is a bit forced, but he's making a dive for it

and cookies ARE nice

She sets the plate down on the coffee table.

He turns a look up at Frank, and his expression is uncertain. He is not sure that the man does... but then his mouth is filled with cookie. And his tail gives the smallest of wags.

(ANd get sthe heck out of the way)

An encouraging smile. "There. A little better. Jack, have a cookie?" He invites.

Jack grabs one "Can we.. get back to the story now?"

And he munches

"If you boys would like to. Dagmar? Join us?"

"I guess?" She perches in a nearby chair.

"I have chores now. But you read. Okay? And later I'll show you my favorite books. I don't touch those with cookie fingers, 'cuz my friend would go "tut"." He licks his cookie fingers, eyeing the plate to see if maybe he can have another.

There are many cookies!

"O..okay" Jack says unsure but nodding

He takes a cookie, then takes two more, and holds them out to Jack. "Mountain can turn the pages so you can have one in each hand. That's fair, right?"

Jackflap takes another "Thanks. I'm sorry I got you mad" A thought "i'm sorry I GOT mad. I just.. don't always like talking about my past. My future seems nicer."

"This place is okay."

He sticks a cookie in his mouth before he can say anything else, and disappears a thump-thump-thump down the stairs - and then the rattle-scrattle-scramble of paws running out the door.

Jackflap whispers "but I do want new parents and not the old ones"

"...Yeah, I get that. My real parents suck."

A blush but a grateful look to to Dagmar

Frank rumbles, clearing his throat.

"Connor..." A frown. "Connor would probably benefit from being someone in particulars, and not just everyone's."

"Yeah?"

It took him an extraordinarily long time to find his place, a little startled as Connor bolted. "Hmm."

But then, he's old.

"Could..could we hear the story now?" Jack seems to want something to latch onto

Frank nods his shaggy head (think Grizzly Adams) and begins to read from "The Mouse and the Motorcycle."

And Jack gets back on Frank's lap and listens intently

His voice is deep and low, you can kind of feel it in your chest. He's practiced at this, accustomed to reading aloud.

Dagmar... listens, actually.

And Jack gets..happy. Satyrs don't hid emotions well, so as he is whisked away his eyes light up...and sometimes he joins in on the sound effects

A brave tale of adventure and longing; danger and risk; friendship.

The vroom-vrooms are very important!

SO important, and Jack Flap is very happy to chip in

Frank will read until the boy can't take no more.

and Jack is a rock, only yawning in the last chapter... but staying awake long neough to hear it... then and only then "That was a good story" ...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"It was."

A puff of amusement. He turns his head to check on Dagmar as she speaks.

"Can you come take him a moment? I've gotten a little stiff." Quietly.

"I can, yeah."

She crosses over to scoop up the childling. "Take him to bed, yeah?"

"If you would?" Quiet gratitude as he stretches one, then the other, leg with a faint wince.

A nod, and she carts the faun upstairs. The boy is no burden.

And a hard enough sleeper than he's not waking from being carried

He's tucked in gently, a glass of water left nearby.

Frank shifts, stretches, and eventually stands for a full-body stretch. Things crackle.

A grunt.

Dagmar heads back down, trying to be quiet.