#rivervale_lodge

Out in the wooded areas that border the Lodge, the Chieftain has just completed her own rituals. A variation on kulning, she has walked the perimeter of the land, chanting a song of protection and health for all within. Now that she has returned to where she started, the pauses and listens to the sounds of celebration, both fae and mortal.

She can feel it, a cleansing. Even as she shields what is good, much of what was holding others back has been expelled.

A deep inhale and exhale. There is much to be done in the days ahead...but this is good.

And she heads back to the Lodge, satisfied.

Where drinks and hugs await

****************

Dirk staggers in craddling an arm.

Kerri turns from where she's putting items away in the linen closet. "Dirk?"

The arm is his.. no dismemberment .. but it's got a nasty bite... fortunately nothing close to Colton's removal

"Hey. Sorry. Trying not to bleed on the..."

"What happened? Sit down...." She grabs a fresh towel back out and goes to help him.

"I just gave some news to someone who wasn't happy about it" He grunts

She puts the towel on the table near him. "Rest your arm there, let me see."

He rests it. Yup. Looks like a bite and tear.

From between just above elbow down to wrist

She checks to make sure there's no foreign objects in there, then says, "It's probably going to hurt while I fix this...try not to bite me."

"Like I'd wimp out by acting like it hurt" He says

No foreign objects. This was teeth, simlilar to a redcap bite

She nods, then licks each one of her fingers before starting to pinch the edges of each tear together, pressing them together firmly for a count of five, the glamour shimmering like peroxide bubbles in a wound. "Another redcap?" she asks as she works.

Bit of a grunt. "Not. " Grunt "Xactly"

"No?" She frowns. "What then?"

""Rather not say" He says

A pause, then she continues, the wounds half healed now. "A threat to others in Rivervale?"

"Nah" He says "I mean, could be, if she wanted but she'd really have to go out of her way. She's bound to her river"

then he winces, not from any pain, but his slip

"Bound to her river." A more gentle pinching this time, perhaps to encourage. "So as long as people stay alert when they're near the Hackensack River...."

"Not even in the barony" He says then sighs "Okay okay . It's a Riverhag. She asked me to look into rumors. I did. She didn't like the news or me telling her if she tried anything she'd get stomped. She bit me. It's cool. I punched her in the head"

"Hmph." Kerri sounds annoyed on his behalf. "Would she rather have you lie to her?" Another careful pinch. "Almost done. If not in the barony, where did you encounter her?"

"In the County... and I don't wanna squeel anymore than that. Geez, you been learning from Pooka? Get me talking... next thing you know I got a rep as a snitch. Who needs that.." Slight wince at that last pinch "Probably won't be a problem. But darn it, Rusalka are real"

A startled blink at that. "Rusalka are what, now?" The wound is healed, and she uses the towel to wipe up some of the blood from his arm and her hands.

"Kind of over my headspace, but Rusalka.. old Russian kith often tied to rivers. Supposed to be dead. One is back. Maybe more. River Hags won't like that. Territoiral bitches"

"I know what they are, but...what makes you think they're back?"

"Because I met one" He answers

She blinks. "You know a local river hag...and you met a live rusalka."

"I got adventures too you know" he says "Peacekeeping gets me roaming, and then sometimes I go on my own. Just the girls make more noise about their stuff"

That gets a grin out of her. "I forget about your modesty. Let me get you something to eat."

"That's me.. humbler than anyone..." Then a blink "Eat? Sure"

Dirk is still growing. In a world of trolls it maybe hard to notice, but he's further along to being the brute of a man he's going to become.

"Come to the kitchen and wash up while I fix something."

But he's taller than he was just 4 months ago.

He gets up, shakes his arm a bit "Cool. "

"Thanks, Hearth."

She takes the towel from him to put in the wash. "My pleasure. I have some pork roast here. Let me put it in the cauldron to make sure it's enough...."

Which she does as he washes up.

He washes up with a soap, "The Ruslka I met is in Earth Runes. That much I can tell ya. She's pretty, but not sidhe pretty right? And she talks a good game but might have been playing wme with her 'multitudes' talk."

"Multitudes?"

He eyes the pork roast as it fills the cauldron "I love that cauldron." And in he digs! talking between bites "I think she didn't like me trying to warn her about the River Hags not liking folks coming in periood. You can imagine how they feel abou their 'niche' being horned in on"

"So, you try to give an honest warning, and it isn't appreciated...then you come back and do the same thing, and get bitten. That might discourage some."

"i'm a Cap. Nobody likes me and I'm used to that." He shrugs "And I punched her in the head for the bite. Don't worry about me, Hearth" Chomp Gobble "My kind ain't born for being popular."

She grins a bit, and may hold back the first comment that came to mind. "Well, I'm glad we're on your good side, at least."