#rivervale_lodge

"Uh..."

"Breakfast?" She hazards.

"Well...it's time for breakfast, yes," Kerri admits, but then takes on that tone of pronouncement again. "But the only thing that might truly help with the loss of the jelly beans and a dish and a glass....is a true act of contrition." A pause, and she clears her throat and continues, "which means, an honest admission, an explanation, and a genuine offer to make things right."

"Now, however, it's time for me to make sure there's food for you ladies. I assume Sylvi is still out like a light, but that means you two get to choose: cereal or pancakes?"

Jack looks at Connor for help, but he seems to have frozen like that new Pouchie Breed dog

A soft whine, he can't help it, like a scared puppy.

A whisper, "I don't think we get pancakes."

"I don't think we can come out again ever. We have to live in hiding like Ralph-the-mouse but without even a motorcycle."

Jack looks at Connor , and a set look on his face, "No. You will get pancakes. You.. you go on, and eat them, and like them.." He puts a hand on his friend's shoulder "you eat enough for BOTH of us."

"No!" He clings to Jack. "Don't be a hero!"

Someone is Sure to hear the muffled whispering by now.

Then the spot under the kitchen sink opens "It was me!" as he pulls free of someone

Connor topples out after him. "Noooo! It was me!"

Jasck sticks his head out, and hands in the 'don't shoot' gesture

"Pancakes? I can help..."

"It was my fault! All me. I was the one who cast the cantrip all wrong!"

Jack is insistant

A soup pot on his head clatters to the floor as he rolls free of the cupboard, and he grabs it back to return to his head. "No it was me all along, I hid a ghost in the jar and then it got mad and it SPLODED."

"Oh hey.."

Wince. "Ow."

A long, still moment as Kerri looks down at the two Spartici.

Wearing a pot on his head, "Nope, Connoer didn't do nothing. I made it go bbing ping zing.. it was just supposed t come downin our hands but instead it went bonkers. That was all me. Please, don't deny him pancakes!"

"Ladies," she says to the girls at the door. "Would you give us a moment?"

"Yes'm."

Eden nods "I understand. Fewer witnesses, easier clean up" She waves good bye to the boys , and slips back into the main room

"Gentlemen," Kerri says, and then indicates that they should each sit down on kitchen stools.

It's likely a climb for each of them, but she lets them struggle to get there.

He looks about to protest more, but then climbs up to the chair.

Jack clambers and clatters on top of his.

And hangs his head

looking at his hooves, which being goat hooves, he is sure are far better than horse hooves

Connor hangs his head too... and the pot falls off again. He starts to scramble to get it, then freezes, half on, half off the chair.

Kerri catches the pot smoothly and sets it aside.

...to be washed.

"Now. Connor, I said no Hopscotch in the kitchen. Did you break that rule?"

"See, I just clatter smatter smash crash all over. Hearth-I'm-sorry-please-let-us-have-breakfast-too I don't want to live in the mouse hole and only eat crumbs."

He hangs his head, safely this time, a true hangdog expression. "Yes'm."

"He didn't. I gimmixed it.. it was the only cantrip cast, Honest Native American" The boy says holding up a scout finger pose to show he's sincere

Kerri is about to respond to Connor when Jack explains.

"For a gimmix, that was a rather spectacular failure," she observes. "Now...why do you think I might put things on high shelves?"

"Because you're like uber tall and high shelves for you are like.. on the roof" The satyr considers

"And yet, the snacks that I'm happy for you to have at will are always within reach." And if the boys think about it, that's true. The not-terribly-sugary snacks are absolutely in childling reach for self-help.

"So, from now on, if you need a cantrip or extensive gymnastics to reach something, ask permission first. Now...how will you make this right?" She nods at the garbage pail now containing jelly beans, dirt, and shards of glass and pottery.

He ducks his head more. "It was ONLY my idea, so it's not my fault at all. We just wanted to plant a jellybeanstalk..."

"is it really a snack if it's good for you?" Jack says before thinking better, then blushes "I could clean off the jelly beans and conserve them by eating them?"

Then a nod "We did, we did. we wanted to plant a jelly bean stalk" He says emphatic

"But not they are Trash Beans and already dirty so they can't go in the dirt."

A sad sigh.

"You are not eating those," Kerri states. "But...a jelly bean stalk? That was the goal? Not just to eat them?"

"We weren't going to eat a single one!"