#rivervale_lodge

Connor sits inside the lodge, picking through his books but without settling on any to actually settle down and read. Outside it's sunny and lovely, but inside, he's a bit forlorn.

"Hey man, you're stealing my niche," Jordan the centuar says

Connor gives Jordan a glance, ears up a bit. "That can't be. You're much bigger than me. Any niche that I fit into wouldn't fit you at all. And if it was big enough for you, I could probably squeeze in too, around the edges. My friend Lilly is trying to teach me to squish into small spaces like she can, 'cept I usually just get stuck."

"Well, at least you don't freak out when you do get stuck," Jordan replies, "Look, I was basically saying you were looking all sad and depressed and usually that's my thing. I know it sucks, feels like being a changeling just means we get hunted sometime, but you're in luck. Folks here like you, and they'd not let anyone hurt you. i mean, Dame Dagmar may give me death glares, and Gerd keeps talking about dropping me in a lake if I whine too much, but both of em are crazy about you and will protect you. It's ..what they do. So, you got a big blue wall. You know? They'll protect you. Heck, they might even protect me"

"I'm a Squire. I protect too. It's just that my blue color doesn't show up as well through the fur. I'm not afraid or anything. It's just... I don't think... I don't much like this weekend? Do you?"

"No, I don't, but then I don't like much" A sigh "I miss my dad and mom, even if they were borderline autumn people they loved me. It sucks" a look down at the little guy, "You want to go outside?"

He scuffs a foot on the floor. "I'm sorry about them. I used to have a mama, but she died. I think I used to have a dad, too, but I don't remember him. I don't remember him as a dad. I know him as a person, but it's not the same?"

Connor peers out the window and ponders Jordan's question. "I don't know? I don't understand some things some times. Maybe my head is too small."

"Come on," Jordan picks the kid up, "Get on my back. Don't worry, plenty of others have been on it more than once" Wryly then more gently "I'm sorry about your parents too, but at least you have family here. If we run into trouble out there, I will race us the hell to safety. Okay?"

"But what if the trouble is a different flavor? I've been trying to figure out the whys. They tried to..." He doesn't seem to want to say the word. "To hurt the store boss. But they didn't try to hurt May, only her brownies." A soft, sad sigh remembering the treats rolling into the dust. "They wanted to make hostess cakes out of one of us?"

"Hostess cakes?" He helps the kid outside and into the sun, "Okay, pooka talk pooka talk... damn, hostess cakes? did he say why he wanted a hostess cake or what type of Hostess cake you'd be? or why you'd be a good hostess cake?"

"Um." He perks up a bit, sometimes it's frustrating, but's also kind of a like a game, a guessing game. "See, because I'm a dog. And it's summer, so I'm a hot dog. But he didn't want me, he went for May first... she's a bit bigger. So she's a hot-sausage. They wanted her to be a hot-sausage. Which is tasty, like a hostesscake."

"I couldn't find a newspaper to make a letter to show. There were some magazines, but Dagmar would be AWFUL sore if I cut up the pony book."

"Hot sausage?" Jordan takes a slow pace, "Newspaper letter.. uhmm mmm" Thinking

"Yeah! You cut out all of your favorite letters. It's MUCH easier than just writing."

"Like a ransom note in the movies, yeah I get it I..." He turns about so he can look side ways at his rider, "Wait, Hot sausage? Hostage? He wanted you for a hostage?"

"And May? her too"

"Nope!" His tail wags. "Just ONE of us. That's why he got all fussy when we were both there. Or maybe he was fussy because I hunged him up by his pants. Or maybe before Zane poked him with a stick."

Connor is a good rider - he knows how to rest his rump on Jordan's back so that he doesn't bounce or jostle in an annoying way.

"Holy snot, okay you are scary smart, like those kids with a stutter who play chess," Jordan admits "We got to tell somebody.. somebody more important than me which is just about everybody"

"Chess is fun, I like playing with the pieces. But Connect-4 is even BETTER."

"I don't know why he's want me or May for horcruxes though. If he was gonna hurt someone to make Dagmar feel bad, he could have done it there." And then a huff. "He could have TRIED. We STOPPED him."

"May's normal right?"

"It's hard to tell people things. Dagmar listens, that's why she's the best knight. But she's busy watching her Dad get better. Other people don't listen so good sometimes." His tail droops a bit.

And he nods. "May is just May. But that's a good person for her to be. Her head is FULL of dreams."

"Like, WHOOSH." He waves his hands around his own head a little.

"Right.. maybe that's why? May can't defend herself. easy target, some folks are jerk bullies"

"But why take her away? Did he want to eat her dreams up, like a willworker? We had one of THOSE once. He hid in someone's head and then tried to gobble up the fire."

"It was a bad day."

"Geez. you're not cheering me up about being one of these changelings and I'm really trying to be more positive about that," They brain storm as they move, Connor can touch low hanging leaves "I think I've seen this plot in a movie or tv show. It's like kidnapping a Jury member's kid. You hold that hostage, you get off scot free in the trial. Okay, I'm gonna slow down and text some folks about this. "

"Oh. Oh, no! He's not allowed to get away with Scott. He was a BAD GUY." Connor protests!

"I ...." A blink then "I got nothing"

"There are good things, too. Like watching the wolves fly... when they're not hunting the squirrels. And we have the BEST parties, like Pennons where there are all sorts of contests, and Rivervale even lets some other people win once in a while. And when you go inside the dreaming and walk on the silver sidewalk, it's FULL of the best things..."

"And having super-hero powers. Like jumping real high, or running real fast, or talking to your own shoe, or a free ride to the lake..." Connor is cheering himself up a bit, whether or not it works on Jordan.

Jordan admits "It is nice being able to run fast and lift things easier "Begrudging almost

"Did you get to meet Snow? She's a talking monkey who loves F..." He glances around, and then whispers, "F - R - O - O - T."

"And Jack, that's my best friend, he grew a jelly-bean-stalk. We're not allowed up there yet, but someday we'll go meet the Jelly-giant on the cotton-candy-clouds."

"I met jack, and Snow stole a banana from me" He sighs as he texts

"Isn't being able to play with a monkey better than a banana?" He grins.

"I think I prefer the banana" He says

then he adds "it's got more a-peel"

And immediately regrets he did that, but it's out now

Blink, blink, blink, and then Connor dissolves into giggles. "Orange you glad you thought of that?"

"Oh no no world of regret now" a groan, but there's a slight smile under the groan

"A world of egrets! That's a big bird, you know. Not as big as a dragon, though. Bigger than SOME dragons... I met a tiny dragon that likes books, you know?"

"I did not know" He admits

"There are some scary things. Sometimes.. a lot of scary things. But I like being a pooka. It's all I know how to be these days. I hope you like being a Centaur. It means you can see the fun things in the world. Like Sea Captain Knights, and Flying Ships. And jousting like right out of medieval times... and super heroes, but real? When you were a little Jordan-2-legs, was there anything you liked most of all to play pretend about? Or your favorite things to read or watch?"

"I was raised that what was real was real, what wasn't wasn't, and that make believe never did anyone much good" A sigh "of course, my parents were wrong, and then they died. So I... guess part of me is angry the universe wanted to play them for fools. I see some perks, but really kid, I think I'm not as crazy about the fae are real stuff as I'm supposed to be"

"Sorry, not trying to bring you down" He admits

"There are real things that are cool though. Music, and, and... swords, and yummy food, and swimming in the sea... making art..."

"You can start there. And then see how much farther... further? fartherer? You can go with magic." He is SO earnest.

"You maybe the only person I've met besides the Hearth and Olgar who haven't blasted me for my 'bad attitude'" A look "Thanks. But I had music. I don't really see the point of swords... and pretty sure I'll drown in the sea. Not that artistic. I just don't think I'm a very good changeling, but I guess I can try some stuff anyway, or at least help. Now, you want me to pick up the speed? No reason one of us can't have fun eh?"