#rivervale_lodge

"Put him on the couch, Dagmar."

"I didn't... I didn't even think to call them." true

"Yes'm."

She picks up the teen and carries him over like a rather undignified sack of potatoes.

The word Ailil absolutely made her grind her teeth slightly.

"Call your parents, Dagmar. Then rest here. Gerd...please take Connor upstairs to his room. He may sleep in those clothes..." wherever those clothes came from "...then you must call Vali and let him know you are safe."

"I will telephone the Thomases."

Dag digs out her phone to call home. ring

Gerd nods "Yes Chief. I'm sorry. I ..I apologize. I Screwed up" And off she goes to tuck him in

"Hm." Brekke doesn't look like she disagrees.

When phone calls are finished and Gerd comes back downstairs, there is not coffee waiting, but glasses of warm milk with nutmeg. Kerri must have heard them come back and provided, but only Brekke is waiting for them. Adam snores on the couch.

Gerd sits down.

"Gerd, Dagmar...tell me what happened."

From Kerri, it might sound like a compassionate invitation. From Brekke, it is an order.

"Connor tricked Adam into thinking he was a Symon and purchased a ride all the way to Carhage aka Silver Wolf. I didn't see it until he was already on the way and I looked all over LOCAL instead of using my brains... I fucked up"

"You didn't fuck up. This isn't your fault."

Brekke's brows both go up. "Connor tricked Adam into this? I thought perhaps he was merely a stowaway."

" I didn't see it coming. I dropped my guard... he's MY responsiblity and I dropped the ball. I might as well have flickerflashed him to that jackwad's hold"

She BELIVES it

"Gerd, no."

"Connor - from what I gather, Connor pretended to be Symon, with magic, and got Adam to drive him upstate."

"By the time we fond out, they were already in Carthage."

"I used the lodge phone to call Adam when the REAL Symon told me Lily mighth ave some ideas. Nab told me that Adam gave Symon a ride... and after that.. it wasn't hard to figure out.. I had Uncle Vali tattle tale Connor, saw Adam's car... then called. Adam picked up pretty fast.. but he'd already made GREAT Time.."

"Gerd, this is NOT your fault. Connor deceived you. Willfully. He is a clever boy, and he used his cleverness to get around a rule I made. This is not your fault, and you are not to adopt the blame for something that is the fault of another."

"So, yeah. Gerd called me saying she needed help, and I came over..."

"He's my brother, Chieftain. And i quite litterally am his keeper"

"And he's home and safe."

"No, you are not. You are his friend. You are not his keeper. And at this point...at this point he is absolutely old enough to know better." Brekke looks very irritated.

"Yeah... and now we're more on that damn hold's radar than before..." A shrug at the Chief. Shrug. THe universal teenager response

Brekke looks like she would very much like to take several troll-sized aspirin. "What happened there? What did his father say?"

"He wasn't there."

"His father wasn't even there...we missed the first part... you'll have to ask Adam when he wakes but.."A look to Dagmar "I didn't like the chancelior"

"But I guess he has a sister-in-law? The chancellor, yeah."

"She's the falconer..."

"The trolls seemed decent - they got girl twins, like Lut and Tig."

"A chancellor." She nods. "Well, you have returned in one piece. You are not being held there on violations, real or concocted. I believe this is good." Dubious, though.

"And the boggan Steward was nice."

"It is an Ailil hold," she reminds them. "Beware them, always."

Brow-furrow. "Apparently, the Baron just flat-out destroyed that camp place where COnnor used to be."

"I get that, but, like, most of the commoners seemed like normal, decent folk."

"The Chancellior went on and on about how much WORK she must do and how it all depends on her." A sniff "Stuck up sidhemadonna"

"Yeah, well, they fed us and let us head out."

"So I think it went about as well as it could have."

"They fed you?"

A narrowed look.

"I don't think the tea was poisoned but there was no way to refuse without being rude. I didn't eat myself."

"Cake, yeah. Not Kerri-level, but what is?"

"Did they send any of the food along with you? Do you have any of it here?"

Dagmar shakes her head.

"I'll bring the clothes Connor is dressed in back to their hold...drop off a package .. I can flicker flash there now"