#rivervale_lodge

Frank sighs.

Brekke also sighs. "Yes. Caesar. He has real estate here. An apartment that I know of. Perhaps some individual buildings. He may have a warehouse or something similar. And yes, he seems very generous."

"Caear's the best wrestler in the world!" from the stairs. "oops"

Jack's voice

Frank looks like a man accustomed to having his shoes surreptitiously tied together.

Brekke closes her eyes, her face a mask of endurance. "It is unwise to expect privacy in this location, I know, but..." She opens her eyes and looks up. "Jack, come down here, please."

"Shall I get the other one from the kitchen cupboard?"

He comes down.. "uhm am I not supposta be here ?"

"If he is still there. He may be off chasing butterflies," she says to Frank.

"Jack, have you met Lady Sparrow?"

"Hello there."

"You got wings!" Jack blurts

"I do!"

"COOL.. do they fly? I mean.. they look awesome... but do they fly too?"

Sir Carowyn watches this with amusement

"They do, though I have to be careful if mortals are watching."

"Yeah.. they can really look your way at the worst times.. .then.. suddenl you're like..." He smashes one hand against his other "Splat! And... " Then he makes a sound like a squeegee on glass as best he caN and mimes the other hand sliding off the one it hit

Brekke is also somewhat charmed by this, but then she clears her throat. "Jack, what is being discussed here is serious. It also involves danger to many people. Do you understand this?"

Frank checks his boots, rises, and goes to open the kitchen door. "Connor?"

"Like the old place in Memphis bad?" He makes a face as he asks

Brekke considers a moment, then nods. "Different, but yes. Bad like that."

He steps inside and checks the cabinets. "Connor? It's ok, no one's upset at you. The Chief would like to see you."

"oh." he swallows and look a bit pale, then "how.. how can I help whatever other kids or people .. people are in that?"

Clearly screwing up courage

Brekke considers this seriously. "You may be able to help when we get them out. Show them kindness. And...." A blink, and she looks to the others. "Satyrs. The Gift."

"That is how we get them to trust us. The Satyrs' Gift."

The Mountain returns. "I think he scarpered."

"I am not sure... "

"The Gift?"

"I've.... Sassy could direct emotion, but it's a rare gift..."

She touches the necklace at her throat.

"The Gift of Pan. It can inspire more than just...ah...the libido, correct? Jack, is that not right? It can be used to create a sense of trust?"

"Well, sure, if you got that talent.. like Piper"

"Or Sassy I guess" he nods

(PAUSE)

Connor, meanwhile, has scootched back in following after Frank, and has his head tilted to one side, listening to them discuss.

Frank considers it, nods slowly. "I suppose... it could work. What were you thinking of, Brekke?"

"Well...if Piper has the gift...then she should be part of the group that goes in to get the captives. We will need another with that talent at whatever place we find to house them once we get them out, to calm and reassure them." A pause. "We will need to know what the inside of the factory looks like, and perhaps both Eden and Symon could work together for that task. Lily...still too young."

Sparrow nods, listening.

"We could be nilfentraders."

"I will need to contact Caesar about the location."

A blink. "Nilfentraders?"

He says shyly. "No one notices kids."

"Connor?"

"You now, you go and nilfentrade the enemy, and they don't know you're there. It's a Shadow Paw thing."

She pauses, then says, "You mean infiltrators. And I think that is too risky."

Jack says "They'll worry more about us than we help. Even if we're not their KIDS, we're ..well, we're kids..a nd they care"

"It's only okay for us to worry as they go out." He points out, frowning a touch.

Brekke gives an eyebrow at that. "You are trying to manipulate me, Connor."

"But he has a point. Lady Sparrow, do the captives all seem to be adults?"