#rivervale_lodge

A soft whimper, from up on the stairs.

He steadies himself "With all due respect, Chieftain? Your lands could use a litle chaos now and then. The sort that can be fun, the sort that folks can laugh at years later. Rikki has a life outside of your view. She's been robin hood to some people. She's not the do gooder her brother is, but she has robbed a deed from a bank to keep a family from getting homeless when they wre already buried in medical bills. That was a crime. I had a hard time chewin her out. She's been a friend to those feeling down. Your barony is a beautiful land, but you can' expect pooka to NOT prank now and then. that doesn't excuse how this one went too far, but she's done good things "

Frank picks up his engine part and starts working on it again.

“I knew.” It’s not loud, but Connor stands watching. “I knew who took it.”

Brekke's tone is low and dangerous. "Again, Mr. Dyer, she did not know there was a rescue to be performed when she took the rig. She took it on a joy ride. I know because she went more than one place before discovering a person to be rescued. This was not a law broken with intent to help. This was a crime committed simply for fun."

Brekke looks over at the sound of the voice. "Connor?"

Mr. Dyers sees the boy "Hey ,Chieftain maybe we should..ah.." A look "Hey, kid. I'm sorry."

His chin wobbles, but he nods.

She narrows her eyes, trying to understand the pooka-speak. "You knew that Rikki and Eden took the rig?"

“Yes. It was Snakey and the Bandit. Because of her mask. I knew as soon as I smelt ‘em. But no one would listen.”

At “no on”, there is a slight twinge of untruth, and Connor averts his eyes from looking towards the mountain and his rig.

Brekke looks from him to Frank. "Connor told you this?"

"Connor...." Frank looks up from his tinkering "....I think he tried to tell me. It seemed he'd lost the scent. I asked Siv to take him home, and flashed myself to the Rig."

Mr. Dyers looks at Connor "Connor, I'm Mister Dyer, we met before once or twice maybe? Look, I love my daughter, but she and Eden are the ones in trouble here. And rightly so. You tried to tell, but it's hard being a pooka huh? You feel like you talk and no one knows and parts of you likes it because it's a secret, but other times it's very lonely, and the only time it feels like folks notice you is when you do something to make them laugh or get upset. I knnow. Seen it. But you are a GOOD kid. Everyone says so"

"Don't blame yourself for this, and I bet the others won't blame you either" he finishes

He shakes his head. “It’s not hard.” His chin wobbles. “I tried. I tried.”

"I do not blame you for this at all, Connor," Brekke says. "It is hard to understand, sometimes, as Mr Dyer says."

"Connor, you're not at fault here." the Mountain says.

"No! But You wouldn't LISTEN. Maybe no one would have been hurt and it coulda been fixed if you'd let me tell you!"

Mr. Dyers looks surprised, then "Connor, it's very hard for some folks to understand pooka sometimes. Not everyone is special like that, that they talk in wonderful wigggling wrap around whirly words. Most just talk straight. And they listen straight too. Go easy on us norms"

He souunnds like he's given this talk before, gentle understanding in his tone

Brekke was about to speak when Connor raises his voice. She looks at him directly. "Connor. The theft was already done."

"It wasn't stealing! Stealing is when you take something to take it away and keep it for yourself!"

"They shouldna taken something that wasn't THEIRS. But they didn't TRY to do wrong."

Frank sets the part down and stands, coming over to crouch in front of Connor. "Maybe I need to work on my listening skills. You're right." gently.

Brekke frowns, her eyes narrowing again, trying to parse this.

Connor shakes his head. "Why was it so bad?"

"How can one take a thing that is not theirs, and not be trying to do wrong?" A genuine question.

"It made you angry, but... banish means she has to go AWAY. And leave her friends, and her family."

Mr. Dyers is quiet, and tryingg not to be tense, for the boy's sake ,he is trying to project calm

"Gerd took Sylvi's scarf and it made her STOMP STOMP around. And I stole Adam and his car, and I got yelt at and I was bad, but there was 'mergencies then and no one banished me for it, even though I wasn't even sorry until I knew I should be. And that I did on PURPOSE. It wasn't even supposed to be a funny."

"To do a thing for the sake of an emergency is excusable. That is not why they did it. And it was cruel. It caused the Mountain more than mere irritation."

Frank, still kneeling by Connor, nods agreement with Brekke.

Connor tugs at his ears in frustration. "Did they know it was cruel? Did they want it to be cruel? I know both of them, and never either of them tried to do any cruel. Never to me, and never anything I smelt on anyone else ever."

"they meant it to be funny" Mr. Dyers says "But that doesn't meant it didn't FEEL cruel to Sir Frank. She does deserve some punishment. the Chief and I just..disagree on how much"

Brekke frowns and is quiet, thinking.

"What they did hurt me, Connor."

"Did they mean to? You're BIG. And you could hurt someone easy. Why would someone try to make you angry at them a'purpose?"

He doesn't meet Frank's gaze, though his ears are up and he listens.

"I don't know, Connor."

Brekke exhales heavily. "Mr. Dyer, what punishment do YOU think is reasonable?" she says, her voice a low, angry rumble.

"I think she stole a Liam's truck, she should end up helping any mortals Sir Franklyn directs her too for a month. With NO pranks on it, if she pranks it extends. She waters plants, mows lawns, brings food to old ladies, and kens to see who is feelin particularly banal and might need a bit of magic in their lives but Sir Frank gets that list and decides if and how. I am going to plant her nose so close the grindstone she's going to think everything smells like stone and sparks"

Annd he MEANS it

She glares at him, "And what makes you think we would trust her with the care of mortals?"

"You asked what punishment I thought was reasonable. I've trusted her with mortals before. "

Frank stands (slowly) and shakes his head.

"How about chanelings then? Chores for the Hearth, for the gardenn? Running errands for Anne Marie or Myrtlle Anne?"

"Do you not understand that I do not trust this girl? I do not trust her intent nor her ability to resist temptation. I am very reluctant to put her in a position where we must trust her to complete tasks."

"Then start her at the bottom-most. Tell her to do the work that only someone you don't trust would do. She has to start over. Just as if she was banished away and had to start somewhere new, except she's not all alone and far away from her family. And with people who won't want her there because who wants someone banished? She can't get better."

Mr. Dyers looks to Connor then to the Chief "She won't learn if you banish her. In fact, she'll learn the wrong lesson"

Quietly, intently, and directed at the Chieftain. "When I did bad, I thought I should banish myself away, but you said I had to learn. And she's not me and I'm not she, and they're two and I'm one, and they don't even live here and know better..."