#rivervale_lodge

"Yeah?" Eyebrow. "You ready to be an uncle?"

Brown Dog is now chasing his own tail. This confuses Spark, but he tries the same.

"Huh?" Jack asks

"Well, Torin is Tove's dad. So that'd make you her brother."

"WHOA.. so you'd be my niece , and CJ would be my NEPHEW?" His eyes widen

"Yup!"

"At last, some authoirty around here" He puffs up

Snerk.

"Oh, you don't have to get me ugly ties for my birthday. Regular toys are better" he assures

"Oh, I see." Very somberly.

"Yes. And you will find that when I babysit you, i will let you stay up as long as you want" He says "though I have to be in bed by 9" A sigh

"Sleep is important. Helps you get tall."

"Around here, who will notice..." A pause "Wait, you think I could be as tall as MIGHTY Caesar?" Oh the dream!

"Maybe!"

"Bet you could learn to wrestle, either way."

"WOw. I could sit in the furniture around here without a clinging roppe"

"Yup."

"Oh yeah. I can already do some wrestling moves. Watch this.. no don't get scared. I'll control the fall" And he latches onto her leg "ATOMIC SUPPLEX" AND ...LIFT... and.. the big girl doesn't budge

Some GRRRing sounds.. not like an animal growl, more like a car refusing to go up an incline, comes out of the boy as he tries again

"Oh, right!"

She takes the fall!

From beneath her her bulk, a muttered "You okay? You're not scared or nothing right? I'd never really hurt you" Muffled from below

"I'm okay. But you got me!"

"You gotta stick up your arms and hop around!"

"Well.. " A grunt "you slap the ground or something... oh yeah.. sec" trying to get out,

if he can slip free. He does get up, dust himself off, then tries to puff up and make a roman sort of salute over his chest "I did it for you, Little Caesarinos!"

She sits up.

"And now I bounce a bit and if you were a GOOD guy wrestler I offer my hand.. if you were a bad guy wrestler I point at you and give you the look of SHAME on you for being bad" he says "Oh.. you were a good one I bet so... " He offers his tiny hand (Relatively Tiny)

Her big blue one rather engulfs his as she gives it a shake.

And he 'pulls' her up...and by that one means he gives her a tug and she'll have to get herself up

A bit of a grunt, but she's up.

"Good game, yeah?"

"Yup. Thanks for playing along" he says "I think I'm gonna like you as a neice"

A grin.

"Here's hoping" he says

The poor kid wants a real family so badly he can taste it. And Dagmar, more than anyone, knows what that's like.

"C'mon, let's watch the horses." She picks up Jack and sets him to sit on the top fence rail - climbing up herself a moment later.

And they do. Spark has gotten his parents to race a bit with him too. Even his dad.

Jack smiles at that. It means a lot to see even horses get families

Some things are easy to watch - clouds floating, waterfalls.. and this, horses at play.

It lightens the heart, lifts the spirit, and lets the imagination delight.

And soon a voice calls out, it's Torin "Jack? Aren't you hungry?"

"Go - eat!"

"Oh..." He turns "Wait, just us?"

"What?"

"Well, if Dagmar wants, my grand daughter can come too.. We're ordering take out. Because in a place with so many good cooks, ordering fast food is the most rebellious thing this old grump can think of " Torin winks then "Myrtle Anne is going to fuss, and have fries anyway"

"Nah, Tove promised fried chicken. You guys have a nice family dinner, yeah?"

Jack blushes at something

"Okay, we will, and then maybe later this week," Torin says "We'll eat with you and your folks and have an even BIGGER family dinner"

Jack BEAMS