#rivervale_lodge

Connor wakes up warm, comfy, in his best PJs..and indoors

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Connor is off doing his chores, leaving Jackflap to play on his lonesome. But, he DOES have two new stuffed animal toys. The pooka told him he can have both or either or neither, which may be confusing but he sounded sincere.

"Hellooo" A young voice says as Lydia Wayburton, Kinian satyr blood girl, comes in.

And Piper behind her.

With Oak escorting

"Hey?" A curious voice from the kitchen, and Sylvi comes out, having finished her own chores and carrying a basket of folded laundry.

Piper is patting Oak on the head and telling him "Oooh, yes, you're a good boy! Yes you are! YES YOU ARE!" It may be embarrassing, but she does love a fluffy beast. "Oh, hi Sylvi! How was Rome? I heard you took a trip overseas." Perhaps confused.

"Oh, hey, Piper." She sets down that basket. "Not that Rome. Upstate. With the new Lodge, y'know?"

"Hey, Lydia, how's it going?"

"I did hear something about that. Shame, I bet Rome is nice this time of year. Upstate sounds cold." A final pat for Oak. "I came to meet the new wee goat in your midst, if he's around."

"I heard it's a FORTRESS, with a dark force trapped in there, and if they drop their guard, it's the end of the wooooorld" Lydia says excitedly

Oak is in heaven, but does give space when directed

from behind a chair, a pair of eyes peeks out.

"Yeah, that's why there are a bunch of Trolls keeping an eye on the place." Sylvi can't hide her pride at that.

"And yeah, Jack's...somewhere. Jack?" she calls a bit louder.

From behind that chair, Jack comes out "Hi." He's cleaned..and carryying Woodstock..a stuffed animal version

He looks nervous, ready to run, new people.

She sets her bags down, shrugging out of her puffy winter coat, and scarf, and finally hat, revealing a head of fluffy blond curls, and curling brown horns. "Hi there, cousin. I'm Piper." A smile.

"And I'm Lydia!" Lydia says waving "Welcome to Rivervale, it's the best barony in the world."

Sylvi stays close. "Jack, Piper's kind of recent to Rivervale, too. But Lydia's grown up here."

And Sylvi beams at Lydia's endorsement.

Piper settles down, not too close to Jack, and pats the floor for Oak to join her. "I brought some instruments to show to... Oak here." And she quietly brings out each one, spending a minute or two talking about it, and making a show of showing them to the fluffy one.

Sylvi eyes the instruments...and the collection of satyrs...and bites her lip a moment, but doesn't say anything, just watches.

(Well, satyrs and satyr-kin...)

Jack Flap looks up at Sylvi and nods, then pulls at his shirt and moves forward "Hi. I'm Jack Flap. And..." His eyes fall on the intruments cautiously

"This is a Tom Tom Drum, you can use it if you want, Piper brought it for you" Lydia says to Jack Flap

Jack bites his lip "Uhm... " And eyes all the instruments "No thanks."

The girl looks..confused, "Would you like to use my harmonica instead?"

He shakes his head no furiously.

Sylvi is a good reader of emotions, and satyrs aren't good at hiding them.

The boy is looking at the instruments as if they were coiled snakes.

"Oh...oh, hey, um...Jack...it's okay if you want to practice with an instrument...but can I ask a favor? Playing is great, but no Gift unless you get permission, okay?"

Jack nods "Yeah, the gift is dangerous." Relief

Lydia blinks and her mouth opens in surprise.

"It can be," she allows. "But I think Piper's really nice about how she uses it, when she does. And...Lydia, I don't know if you have that ability at all. Can kinain do the Gift?"

"No, some can but not most" Lydia says but still looks confused "But the gift doesn't hurt anybody... it's fun, and nice"

"It makes people easy to hurt," Jack says, arms crossed, "Bonk"

"Jack's had some bad experiences with it. Maybe he can learn about better ones?"

"Or maybe...just enjoy the instruments...?"

"Bonk?" Lydia says

'BONK, you hit em on the skull...slam em wham em, upagainst the wall" Jack nods "The gift makes it easy"

Then he shivers

LYdia swallows and looks confused 'No.. the gift makes you feel warm like a bubble bath and sunshine it's..." she frowns at Jack.

"Jack..." She tries to calm him a bit.

Then to Lydia. "Jack knows some people who...who used the Gift badly. Not all fae are nice like your family."

Lydia calms first, but only a little.

Jack says "But I don't hafta use the gift, right Sylvi?"

"No. Not ever. Not unless you want to, and hopefully you'll want to at a time when it would actually help people."

"Kay. I just.. I don't know if I should play anything because then I might forget and use the gift and bad things.." Jack says