#rivervale_lodge

"Okay..." And he can hear the amusement at the last bit. "If it's something you've dealt with, too? Then...I'm okay about it." A pause. "Love you, Dad."

"A lot more than I want to admit" he says truthfully, and glad she didn't ask for details. Seelie or Un, some of the things he's done make kicking someone off a trod look like charity "And I love you too, Champ. Hope you have a good time visiting Texas."

"Thanks. I'm going to contact the DeBukes and see if we can do some kind of fieldwork for school credit thing. I don't want to leave until things are a little more stable."

"Long haul? " A touch of concern slips out

"Few weeks, maybe? I mean...I'll try to be home for Yule. I've been getting some gifts here," she adds with a smile in her tone. "But maybe more after that. Lady Sparrow's doing good stuff out here."

"Yeah? Sounds like you should tell me about it , not what the gifts are per se, but the good things she's going"

"Oh, yeah! So...well, you've heard some of it from Uncle Frank. Oh, Dad, you've totally got to see this hold! I thought the inside rooms would be all closed off, but there's windows to the Dreaming in here!"

And she starts to tell him all about the different views in the different rooms.

"And Lady Sparrow has a Steward, a boggan named Hope. She's good. But she thinks she's not ready for the job. She's nervous, but I think she's doing a good job, and I hope she stays."

She tells him about the childlings Sparrow's helped so far. "There are more, but they need to remember. I want to try to help with that..."

She rattles on. He may be reminded of when she was more of a childling, herself.

He listens. And liesswtens... "Hey you'd be great at awakening forgotten fae"

"Did Uncle Frank tell you about the Observatory?"

"He told me somee of what you talked about yeah.. soundss like that pooka pranked you in a good way and your power went with it whole hog. "

"It was CRAZY!" A happy sigh.

"Made you feel good huh? What did you like most about it" What made you happiest, my girl?

"Well..." she thinks about it. "The surprise of it was one thing. I just was, like, WOW. And...it was so much more than I would have been able to do, normally. Professor Ham boosted it. And the fact that he didn't take it for himself, but gave it to the place to revive it..." another happy sigh. "And just everything... happened, you know? And it was all great!"

He can hear that she's beaming as she thinks about it. "I wish you could have seen it, Dad."

"I wish I could have too, but I promise your mom and I will find time to visit the place. Take a look at what you and Ham did together"

"Excellent." A sigh. "I should go. I want to get out and look around the town a bit, see if I can spot some forgotten folks."

"Oh, tell Mom they were really grateful for the cookies!"

"Okay. Text us again if you need something or even just want to talk" A beat "I know i"m your father so you might see this as biased- but speaking as a lodge member of Rivervale, and a leader of men, I'm proud of you. As your father I'm puffed up like a bagpipe hooked up to a vaccum cleaner in reverse. You go on. Do good. Have fun. I know you can manage both"

"Da-ad..." she verbally blushes at the praise, but then says, "I've got the best role models. Thanks again, Dad. Talk soon! Love you!" And...click...she's gone.

Olgar takes a breath "Love you too." A sigh "My little girl is learning what she loves." And he seeks out his wife, to tell her, everything.

(End Scene)

His wife listens to every single word, then asks for more details...partially because she's a weeee bit jealous, but also because she knows talking about his little girl is one of the things that make him happiest.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, near as I can figure..." And more details are forthcoming

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