#rivervale_lodge

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Later that night, Frank might see his daughter swinging out a window as he comes home from a Patrol

She's graceful, and clearly decked out for travel.

Frank stands and observes her sneak out the window, not really surprised.

She drops down, then sees her dad "Hi da," She doesn't shink or make excuses like she might have when she was younger "Please don't make a fuss. I have a plan"

"Got time to tell me over a cup of coffee?"

She looks back at the lodge she just helped herself out of, then looks back to her dad "You mean go back in the place I just tried to avoid getting caught in? And risk another crowd telling me how to do my tasks?"

"Is that what's been happening? Why you're sneaking out?"

"I appreciate the healing. I appreciate the spring magics to undo the poison. I do NOT appreciate them trying to put me under Dagmar's polygraph or folks tuning me out when I say I'm going to be spying and I've done it before. I need to gather intelligence, learn about the people... and help them."

Frank, to his credit, takes a deep breath. "Suppose you could start at the beginning?"

She looks at the lodge, then at him "Okay if we don't do it over coffee in the lodge?"

"Anywhere you want, Fishie. Diner?"

A smile "Sure..." a nod "lead on"

Frank leads her to the jeep, and they head off to a local place for coffee and pastries.

On the way there.... "So, start at the beginning."

"Sure. I stumbled onto Baron Harkson ap Balor.. a man dragging a chained sluagh. Now, chains don't normally hold sluagh.. so thsi got me curious. he claimed the fellow was a criminal... I asked his crime. Apparently Wenceslas ' crime is being a serf. he's not allowed to leave his lord's land without his permission"

Frank frowns heavily, but listens.

"I fell right into it... I found the idea a horror... but this guy told me the only way those chains were coming off was if he ordered it, or was defeated in a duel.. Well enter the duel. I thought i had him, but he was good.. real good. We were evenly matched. at first then I slowed down ... next thing I knew I was defeated and bleeding on the ground..." A sigh "Could barely focus."

"And that's where you think the poison came in." Frank guesses.

"The others figured out I was poisoned. All I know was that Wenceslais needed me to be a heroine, and I f-.. I flubbed it. I bandaged myself up, got a drink of rum. .Then Nadeen noticed me, got Kerri... and..." She explains the rest.

Frank nods. "I'm glad they found you."

"I was in the lodge, Dad. Not hard to find. " She says "I am grateful. but as soon as I told the story everyone ... everyone showed up... poking prodding and geniui nely ignoring what I was saying about how I would spy on Harkson"

They find a private spot in the diner. Keep their volume low

Frank orders coffee for them, and pie.

When the server is gone, she says "And Symon uses Dagmar to 'truthdar me' so that I agree not to leave without a plan. Well, I had and have a plan. I mentioned the plan. And then I have Gwydion boon used on me to contain me? I am irked with Symon. So I didn't lie. I went upstairs. showered, and , having a plan. I left. "

"And, being irked, you don't plan to take anyone with you?"

"No, knowing how spying works I didn't plan on taking anyone with me. Dad. I can shape change, and create covers... it's one of my best arts. I can't however shapeshift everyone and trust them all to develoop acting skills. I have done this before. "

"I am aware of that." He nods as the waitress returns with their order. When she's gone.... "Jonas?"

"I love Jonas," She says taking a swig of coffee "But he might be needed here to help Anne Marie"

"You've discussed this with him? And Piper?"

"Noooo" She scowls"Left a note"

And tears into her pie

Frank sips and eats a bit.

"Want to share your plan with me?"

"Work my way in slow.. go to nearby fiefs, gather intell from their neighbor views under one form, then, work my way under a different disguise. Possibly as an Unseelie knight of Balor."

He clearly doesn't like that idea, shaking his head. "I know, I know, you've done it before."

"Dad. I know subterfuge isnt' very trollish. But it works for getting the details. how to free this poor bastard. And he's just one serf among many. Right of Demense means we can't just storm in there and kick balor ass"

"Right of Demense also means you can't sneak in there, either." he points out with a fork full of pie. "If you are caught, there won't be much that can be done. And we might never know."

"I have ways of leaving clues" She says

"Good to know."

"What do you think is a better? I tell the one eyed boggan about the situation and wait for rumors of a hold full of dead nobles?"

Frank sets his fork down. "You're not amusing, Siv."

A sigh "Sorry, Dad. That was a low blow. My point is, I'm much better than some alternatives."

"I never said you weren't."

"Yeah, and I'm sorry. you sure believe in me a lot more than my peers do"

"I think your peers might want to be part of the adventure, for the sake of the adventure. And none of them like the idea of slavery, either. And they care about you. None of that is in any particular order."

"Well, I told Symon to warn other sluagh. A chain that traps them si a threat to them all" A sigh

"That might be enough to do it all, right there."

"Might be," She says "But I'm the one who failed Wenceslas. I owe him a debt. I owe Harkson a debt too"

"Different sort of debts" She says