#rivervale_lodge

A grin, and he tosses one to her as well. It only has one bite out of it, practically new.

She laughs, and takes a bite.

"You know I'm gonna have to take you to the Barn and tell my folks, right?"

"Oh, and Gerd. She won't be mad we didn't ask?" Head tilted to one side, ear flop.

"Does Squiring override little-brothering?"

"Well... I hope she's not mad." Brow. "Sometimes, with an Oath, our duty must come first - before our families. But that is not something I would ask lightly. I know how important family is."

"And Gerd is a troll, she understands duty."

He nods, and sighs a bit. "Sometimes I wish I was a troll, it seems... more sensical? And horns are cool, and you get to be so tall. Even Jack will get horns someday..."

"But I know duty. I'm LOYAL." He nods. "Or... I will learn how."

"Sometimes, I wish I was a pooka. To be able to laugh so easily, to be so open, and oh, to be an animal? With fur or feather? Just for a little while?"

"And being loyal, wanting to do right, that's the most important part. I'm not kidding, I made lots of mistakes. And I'll make mistakes in the future, too."

"O Captain my Captain, her Panther knows how to be animals. Maybe he could learn you that... or give you a free sample. If you were a dog for a day, I could show you all the best SMELLS.... oh, but you'd probably want hooves." A nod.

A moment. "...oh! Jonas!"

She laughs. "Man, a dog, a horse, a bird - all of them, really."

"That sounds like a mess if you tried it all at once."

Snerk.

Sometime Later... Gerd goes looking around for folks

Connor has lingered for a long time by the horses. The stable is now spotless, not a scrap of hay to be seen. And Stormwake is curried to a gleam, with clover braided into his main. He leans over the edge of the paddock, clucking his tongue to Star. "Come over, I just want to do your hair." She looks at Stormwake and gives an amused snort, staying out of reach. After all, the apples have run out.

"Star is too sneaky for that, little bro" Gerd says

"Maybe she needs fancier flowers. Oh, or a silk ribbon... " Her ears prick, and she seems to consider.

"Oh, Gerd!" He realizes who it is, hopping down. "Do I look different??"

"Taller maybe?" She raises a brow tilting her head

"Did you do something to your ears?" She tilts her head the OTHER way.

"I... Uhhhh." He reaches up to check his height against... himself. "Maybe a few inches? But What I meant it... can you tell? That I'm helping out the night even during the day."

"Yeah? " She tries to translate "I think I know this one... you're night watch man?"

He ponders on this one. "The night watchman is a lady and their nightstick is a bug zapper."

"Flyswatter ? " A pause "you're helping Dagmar? Okay that's good, but don't you help her with the horses already?"

"Now I have to help her more, because I put my money in the swear jar?"

"Wait..." A brow "HAVE to? "

Dagmar is blissfully oblivious to the conversation, out stacking bales as her player eats lunch.

"Get to?" He nods, and shakes his head. But he has a grin, and looks more cheerful than he has since before the letter inviting Dagmar appeared.

"I crossed my heart and hoped to die, stick a finger in the pie. Except that no one sticks fingers in the pie because it would make the Hearth upset, and Brogan makes sure no one does that. And now I can do that, too. I can be Connor the Just, maybe."

"Argh. I am so missing something... nights ..dagmar is the night...Dagmar is A knight.... swear jar, you cursed? You swore.. Brogan? You can do what Brogan..."

Then his sister flumps down sitting in the grass stunned

He nods, and then yips in concern, flopping down next to her. "Gerd? You in there? Don't worry, there isn't any pie. Or there could be. Do you need pie? I can go ask Sallie Mae..."

"PIe is.. no no pie" A choke "Connor... are you? Are you her SQUIRE now? Dagmar's Squire?"

He pats at her arm in concern. "Is it okay?"

"I.. kind of wish folks told me... does the Chief know about this?"

"It wasn't her idea, because she's still mad at me. She... um... " His forehead wrinkled. "It's my funishment? To learn important skills, and how to work the controls. And Dagmar is a king so I already knew I needed to listen to her anyways, it was just a small step from subject to esquire?"

"The Chief knew... and you and Dagmar just had it happen JUST Now?"

She's not angry, more still trying to parse it

"Should it have cost some Sarah money?" He scratches an ear. "I've never been knighted before."

Dag hikes over towards the stable, a bale on her shoulder.

"Oh, Gerd! Hey..ha. Hay."

And Connor flags her down.

"I have no idea what that means..."

"Can you translate, please?"

"Uh..."

"Oh, Connor told you the news?"

Then she sighs "Dagmar?" Realizing she can speak "DAG? Is.. is Connor your SQUIRE now?"