#rivervale_lodge

Gerd texts on her phone TXT: No Siv, I'm almost sure that weird feeling that you're missing action somewhere is a hold over from all that swashbuckler fiction you read. CYT

THen Gerd looks over "Hey, little bro! How are you?" " She smiles

He hops up to peer over at her phone. "Did you send lots of pictures? You gotta send the little pictures."

"Just talking to Siv, I think she's getting stir crazy and wants to hit the sea again," Gerd assures him and lets him look, "As for pictures, got a few." She flips to show him those, there's a few of him now in his new seeming while he sleeps

He giggles! "How do you even hear anything with such silly little ears?" Shaking his head.

"Huh, you can't use that as an excuse to pretend you didn't hear the Hearth calling you for chores," she pokes at him playfully "Believe me, I tried"

"What, what's that? Eyyyy?" He cups a hand around his ear and blinks innocently.

"I DO hear lots of things. I heard that the Mountain is juicing up his Big Rig for a long haul."

"Yeah. I hope to go with him" Gerd admits "For a few weeks"

She throws an arm about her brother "I'm going to miss you, but I know Dagmar will care for you"

He shuffles a bit. "Maybe I could pack a few things too?"

"Oh" Realization "Connor... huh, "A smile crosses her lips "Wouldn't you miss folks here?"

He tilts his head to one side, ears flopping. "What if there are new places I need to miss that I've never seen? I could stick my head out a window and see the trees go by in full color?"

"But, um. if you need time on the mountain all by yourself, then that's okay too. I'll stay here and guard all your stuff."

"Well, first, Squire, we need to ask your knight for a leave of absence. Second, we need to ask Sir Frank, you're small so maybe you'll fit in the glove box. Third we'll have to get some paperwwork and stuff so you can do your school work remotely. "

"Oh, I took care of that last one already." Connor nods vigorously.

"Uh.. huh" BROW

"I did! I did an entire YEAR's worth of work. Last year!"

Mmm a nod "Funny how every school year is like a year's worth of work . Kid, you know Uncle Vali, right? Tall guy, with the hair, thinks he's funny, kind of is, but we don't encourage him or he won't stop?"

"Never heard of him?"

"Well, I have, for years, used portal passage to try to slip out of classes, or fly off... now, he can see the future. I have stepped OUT of the girl's bathroom by opening a hole in the wall and closing it behind me, only to find him there tapping his watch.. and who wears watches anymore right? and telling me I have another 3 hours at school. Now, I have suffered, so you must suffer too. I don't know why it works that way, but it's the down side for you of having an older sister. We're petty" And she smiles at him wolfishly "So please forgive if I double check on the school thing for myself"

A GASP. "What goes on in the girls bathroom is NONE OF HIS BUSINESS."

"I KNEW they were doin' spells in there."

"He doesn't go INTO the bathroom, let me clear things up.." A pause "And who told you about Girl's bathroom Coven?"

"No one!" Definitely not Zane...

"Well, keep it under your hat," She tells him "But if you really want to go we'll ask Dagmar. And Sir Frank"

"If it's not your special time? Or his special time?"

"It should be.. and Dagmar might need me for something but.. we'll work it all out"

"Oh." He looks worried. "Dagmar might need ME?"

"Hey, don't stress. Dagmar adores you and you are always useful to her, but she is also a big girl and can handle things. Sometimes Wilders gotta wild and we do things without childlings. Which you might think is unfair but I remind you I didn't get asked to fly you up a beanstalk"

"You might have said no." He reasons with a charming grin.

"Good thing you're adorable" she grins at him, then a look crosses her eyes 'Huh.. you know, mortals see you with plain ole human ears...and stuff now. But I wonder if your tickle spots are the same?" She wiggles her fingers

"Eep!" he scrambles to escape!

Looming troll arms, witch fingers.. tickle spots found!

He laughs until he might cry from giggles!

She knows the limits.. and restrains herself at the last moment, but yeah, she has a good time making him laugh and she pulls him in for a hug "Love you, baby bro"

He looks a bit thoughtful for a moment, but hugs back without hesitation. "Dittos!"

"I know that look, you're thinking thinky thoughts, and that's fine, good even sometimes" But she reaches into her jacket searching "Ah ha.." She takes out a penny and hands it to him "But now, you have to share those thoughts"

"No refunds?"

"Well... You could haggle? I think I have a nickel"

"Nobody wants a nickleback." He nods sagely. Leaning against Gerd, snuggled in a bit.

"Am I still your baby brother if I'm not younger'n'you? I'm still SMALLER..."

"Well.. you'll always be my brother as far as I'm concerned" She answers gently "And you are smaller, but to be fair there I'm a troll so that's kind of major edge there. As for 'younger' like years? You know, a turtle lives a lot longer than a cat, so a cat can be old while a turtle, even if it came into this world, is still very young.. so arguably, that cat is soon older.. and that's okay.. a bit scary I bet, but okay. Remember, we're all of us on a great big loop that travels through time. Vegard was old, but now he's back in me. Maybe in a hundred years you'll meet the next me and call me little sister? Who knows? Maybe in TWO Hundred years we'll both be born at the same time and have the same real mom and dad? For now, I have you, I call you might little brother, if that bothers you, you let me know and I'll call you something else, but I'll never not love you"

"Am I a cat, or a turtle? Cats are sharper, but I'm not that slow. Turtles can be ninjas though, and cats are burglars..."

"You're a Connor, you're the Connor in my world," She answers "But who Connor will be is up to you a lot. We all have one ride at a time. Some ride longer is all, and you never know, but like I said we'll all be back"\

"I am Connor, and Connor means me!" He says in a Gandalf-y tone.

"It certainly does!" A grin "THough you have other names I know"

"When Tiffany has puppies, are they your little brothers and sisters too?" Curious. "Or does Margalita get them?"

"Probably a bit of both, I've to see Uncle Vali as second father, took me a while... so in away.. they might step brother or step sister? Or they might be cousins. Depends on how much they cry when I'm trying to sleep":

"You just have to rub their tummies." A solemn nod. "Does she know how many? You have to have enough chew toys or there will be scuffles."