#rivervale_lodge

"Yeah! Let's roll out! Autobots!" He wraps his arms around Jordan to hold on. "Run run! Did you know the centaurs are the only ones faster than Satyrs? They're the new champs!" Hoping Jack will forgive this partial fib.

"Yeah? well, let's see how fast I can go, if I pull a hamstring I'm blaming you" But he doesn't sound really upset as he breaks into a full run!

He does NOT pull a hamstring, and he shoots in looping circles about the lodge, staying close in case of trouble but moving quick

Oak and Edelwiess start to chase him. Brown Dog joins in

sometimes you just gotta chase!

"Wheee!"

"I mean - YEEE HAW!"

"Now I know how a mail man feels" But to add to the fun, Jordan actually leaps over a bench, or tries to!

Well, okay, he bangs a knee and has to slow down, but at least he doesn't drop the kid "Ow ow.. not smart.. ow"

"You okay back there?" Jordan groans, he's got a bit of a limp "I got carried away. "

"Oh, oh, I'm okay. Lemme see. That sounded like an ouch..."

"What are you, my pit crew?" Then he lets the boy down gently "I think it's my back leg. I forgot I had those" And he feels stupid as he says it

"I did the same thing the first time I turned into a dog, you know. I fell all the way down the stairs!" He mimes bouncing down one step after another. "Yip, yip, yip, yip!"

"C'mon, let's go to the lodge. I can put a bandaid on for you, until someone can fix it better."

"Do you want mickey mouse, or spiderman?"

They go towards the lodge, "Spider Man, with great power comes great stupidity" limp limp

"Don't worry, no one will shoot you. I -asked-. Lane was worried, you know."

"Lane's so sweet she makes my teeth hurt, but she's a good kid" A look down "So are you I guess. Just don't tell anyone I said anything nice, it'll ruin my terrible rep"

"Don't worry, no one would believe me if I did." He glances up and grins a little. "Cuz of me, not cuz of you."

"That's gotta stink a bit," He observes "You try to talk, and can't just say it straight. Oh well. Most folks don't like the truth when they hear it anyway"

He shrugs a little. "Yeah, but I can turn into a DOG and everyone loves puppies... so that makes it worth while, right?"

"You know , if anything makes it worth whiile, it's that you can turn into this pretty amazing kid who tries really hard not to be a jerk, and yet is still nice to jerks like me. That's real magic" A smile

He nods sagely and rubs his bare chin, stroking an imaginary beard. "Ahh, your wisdom is great."

"Okay, that's a pretty good mountain impersonation there" He limps into the place and leans against the sofa

Kerri is setting out more coffee mugs near the coffee urn, and she looks over at Jordan. "Why are you limping?"

"Because I'm an idiot" he sighs "And forgot I had back legs so when I tried to jump a bench..."

She chuckles a bit. "Oh, I hit my head on more than a couple of doorframes when I was still getting used to my new height."

"There was this big monster, um, um, snake! And it was going to eat the horses, and swallow up the barn. Jordan kicked it and it ran away, but he bruised his horseleg..." Connor can't help but explain....

"I see you brought your PR agent," she says with a wink, then takes a closer look at his knee. "How bad does it feel?"

"Don't worry." He reassures Kerri. "I think it was just an overgrown gummy worm."

Then he looks thoughtful. "Do you think that's what's up past the jellybeanstalk? Gummy bears, and gummy worms, and cotton candy clouds?"

"Licorice trees with red-vines vines... and swedish fishes swimming in the sugar lake..."

"I suppose that might be, Connor. It's a wonderful idea!"

His stomach rumbles a bit. "Oh, my tummy thinks so too."

"Feels like Ia funny bone that won't stop plus an ache...Hey, I sent a text but I think my message got lost... Connor overheard something.. from the vampire. The guy wanted a hostage"

"I told Jordan about the hostess cakes." He says to Kerri. Connor was saying something earlier about that... but it may have been assumed to be a desire for twinkies.

"Probably not enough to justify a cookie, but a bit of time in front of the fire should help." Then she looks more serious. "Ahhh...that was it, was it, Connor? Hm." She frowns. "We should tell the Mountain and the Chieftain."

He nods, and shakes his head, and nods again. "The fire is good." He says to Jordan, lightly pushing him in that direction. Jordan, of course, is unmoved by the push unless he WISHES to move... "But you mustn't make s'mores on it, it makes everyone go..." Here he makes a dolorous glowering face.

"S'mores are best on bonfires, outdoors." Kerri reminds him. Then she looks up as the front door opens, admitting Sylvi, Nadeen, and Frank. And Flopsy, of course.

"Ah, good."

He lets himself be moved "I think this kid is gaining troll might" Humoring Connor

Nadeen enters in

Kerri gives Jordan a grin. "Almost certainly."

Frank nods to those already here.

"Mountain," Kerri says, "Jordan and Connor are telling me that the attack on May was intended to take her hostage."

"Hostage?" Sylvi frowns.

Kerri nods, then adds, "That suggests there's something more that they want than just revenge. They're trying to force us to do something."

"What I was thinking" Jordan says

"Release Leech."

"Well, that's not happening," Sylvi grumbles.