#rivervale_lodge

Piper might or might not be behind Rikki, but Rikki sighs. Dad was.. scary firm. She'd never seen him like that.

So she approaches the lodge , flips an apple in nthe air which vanishes, as a white monkey shoots by, then she ...gets growled at by Oak.

"Okay, I didn't bring bacon sue me" She knocks on the door

Kerri is the one who opens the door. She gives Rikki a very chilly look, then steps aside and lets her in. "Chieftain. Rikki is here."

Brekke is in her chair by the balefire. "Rikki. Come here, please."

The ring tailed girl is wearing a joan jett t shirt, fingerless gloves, and torn jeans. She enters in, and takes a seat

And she eyes the chief

Brekke raises a brow at her as she sits. Kerri shuts the door and, without another word, goes out to the kitchen.

Several seconds of silence. If the girl is not perceptive enough to realize that she was not invited to sit, Brekke does nothing to change that. "Rikki. I spoke with your father. I told him I would speak with you and Eden before making any final decision. You have a chance here to explain yourself."

"Yeah, dad''s really happy with me right now" Dryly, and she looks at her "Am I not allowed reverie? Or is musing myself a bad thing?"

"Taking your own pleasure at the expense of another's peace of mind is not acceptable."

"Oh yeah, it was all for my sake" Gwydion radar pings "And I totally meant for your husband to blow his top and attack us in the cab while we were driving for our lives."

And Gwydion pingg there too

A brow. "You are surprised that the Mountain would use force against those who stole the Dawntreader?"

She rubs at her masked eyes, "You want the truth, but I'm the west coast distributor of the truth. You're seeing through a troll's nose, smelling through a troll's ears- tell me? What if protecting people was illegal? What if defending people was stomped down by your ruler? Would you feel pent up? A bit crazed?"

A frown. "Yes, you rescued a man who was being abused by the police. But that is not why you stole the Dawntreader. If it were, you would not have gone to the other place...Carhenge?...first."

"I wish I had a jury of my pears, though Snow would eat them" She sighs "You're listening but it's hooking in... passion before duy, that's my uncola code, so saving Skulk? Did I plan it? OH YEAH... absotively" She shakes her head, "But that's what I'm asking. What if a crucial part of what you are, your DREAM, was denied, what if it was illegal? What if you did it on a day KNOWN for protecting people and then go asked to explain it? "

"Skulk is not my monkey not my zoo" She says, "Though I do hope he's rocking on a gloomy beach" More than a litle truth to this part 'Sipping on his tea with an umbrella. I'm asking you to understand a culture, more than a culture, a spiritual need"

That last sentence was true. at least as the pooka sees it

A pause. "The need to prank," she says to clarify.

Relief floods her features, ""Sokath, his eyes uncovered/opened"

"Look, I realize I'm a wonderful girl, fantastic sweet and light, shy, I drive my cab, I follow the rules, I turn into a snake, but that's all folks were letting me be"

A brow. "I have great respect for the pranking of your kith. In its proper proportion. But. There. Are. Limits."

Then a frown. "You...are speaking of Eden. I wish to have her speak for herself. You shall speak for yourself."

Then a blink. "This was a right of rescue...for Eden?"

A ttap on the nose, her own nose, she's unseelie, not asking to die

"My brother revs her engine" She shudders "But lately she'd been driving the Knight's fart car and nothing else. April Fool's comingg in, OUR Sacred holiday... like Norweigann Independence? "

"Hm."

She doesn't sound convinced.

"You're shreddingg scales.." A sigh "You're stomping the.. dammit" Whatever she's trying for it's impossible at this moment for her to say i straight

A brow raised. "Perhaps she needed to prank. Perhaps you needed to help her. I accept these possibilities. But you chose the Wrong Target."

At that she wrinkles her nose "You're only saying that because you're a compulsive truth teller" a resigned look "I'm a teenage girl, and thus the SOUL of smart moves? Look, I knew your husband Liked the truck, I didn't realize it was his horcrux."

"Hm. Not exactly, but you are also not very far off. I do not think you understand the level of panic you caused."

She says and rubs her forehead "I took the garden gnome on a tour. The gnome had selfies of it at its sacred site. At a Social Justice pride parade. At..a historical reserve. This was by any NON giant's thinkingg, HILARIOUS. I made the biggest mistake a comedian can, the audiance didn't laugh." A struggle "Trolls don't know fear..damn." The lies can't quite stop but she's struggling "Okay. I admit, taking the gnome was a mistake. Gnome borrowing had it all, glory, guts, fun, but I didn't think the gnome's parents would panic?"

"I have never found theft particularly amusing," she points out. "Rikki...did your father tell you I have been considering banishment?"

A startled look, "That's why he had my ass on a grill. He wants me to work until I'm ancient .. like in my thirties. Look," A swallow "Don't hurt my dad. Please? This apartmet job is the best job he's had in 50 years"

A brow. "Perhaps you might have considered that sooner."

"You mean, I should have realized that an April Fool's prank would send a hero of three wars, who faced balor for lunch , into a terrified lashing out that would nearly get us shot by corrupt cops? " She says mouth agape "I have no prophet motive in this, my pre-cog-nition got stuck in the mechanism. I am delighted , overjoyed, thrilled to admit I screwed up, but who expects the 'just add water' troll bam bor ree at 89 miles an hour when you're trying to get a sluagh to the county line so you can trade him in for beer?" A hapless shrug "I'm not saying I was wright brohters, but I am sayingg THAT gave ME a heart attack. "

Brekke shakes her head. "We are here to talk about your action, not about anybody else's response. If not banishment, what do you offer as a satisfactory punishment?"

A door opens and closes upstairs.

"You told me I should see it coming, I counter with this long speech, how could I see that coming?" She points out "THIS was.. that. " A frown and she thinks it over

Brekke glances up the stairs, then back to Rikki.

"Dad wants me to do yard and charity work with your husband cracking the whip, he says I need lessons in Empathy 101 and Pre-Consequence comprehension. I don't ... I don't know if I'm good at all this happy do good stuff. I tried that, to help Snakey jake and it didn't work out, but maybe i can do SOMETHING to help this hold? "

she looks at the stairs, and rubs the back of her head

"I do not fault the goal, if it was what you say. The punishment is for the method."

Heavy footsteps on the stairs..... and Mountain King appears.

Brekke looks to him. "Mountain. Rikki is here. Please join us."

Rikki mutters "Fi, fie, foe, fum,"

And looks very nervous

Frank does join them, taking a chair at the 'Fire where he can be part of the conversation.