#rivervale_lodge

"Well, if I am defending my home, I'll be even stronger than them."

"Maybe, but don't get cocky. Some trolls have killed themselves just to kill a ogre.. and when we lose one of ours, just to get onnen of theirs, we lose more than the Thallian do. They have more ogres than we have trolls"

"I'm not cocky. I know I'm nto as strong as the Chief, or most of the grumps.... just... my Oaths should help, right?"

"And Ogres don't have honor."

"They will" A nod "And no, Ogres aren't even.... .. we call our Unseelie Ogres, but compared to a true Ogre thallian, Uncle Olgar is a damned Arthuriann knight"

"Exactly. Olgar's got his pride and his code."

"How you doing... as acting Storm?"

Her cheeks color a bit.

"This isn't THAT. I was there, Chief asked me to look out until she returned."

"You sure? Because... it feels like you're in charge of the defense of the barony and lodge, which is kind of what Storm does"

"Um. I mean, I... Chief said I'll be training for that, eventually."

Gerd nods

"But this... I don't think... Olgar's probably the acting Storm."

"Don't freak, but uhm.. Olgar's not giving orders"

Brow furrow.

"Yeah, but he's a grown up."

A nod "Uh hum" ("Yet he is following your lead. I think that means something")

"Um."

"Well, Chief'll be home soon."

A nod then "No pressure, right?"

"No pressure." Stolidly.

"As it is, we've got all cardinal directionns covered so I thinnk you plan is..." they come up to the stream

"Solid" she eyes it, it LOOKS clean enough

"Well, it's kinda basic..." She pulls slightly on Stormwake's reins, to slow.

Stormwake slows, looking curriously at the water

"Not safe to drink." She checks her packs, looking for a container to take a sample of the water.

She finds a flask that would do the trick

"I'm not kenning anything, so if it's bad, it's not gglamour related"

"Could just be plain old mundane pollution." She sniffs the water.

there's a slight smell, like.. nail polish, but not quite

Stormwake sniffs too, then rears his head up and shakes it, disapproving

"Yeah, see? Smells bad."

Gerd snniffs too "Yeah. I smell it. Bet one of the dogs would really hate it. I should have brouht Edelweiss, but she hates when I make her fly"

"Well, maybe Frank or Vali can examine it more closely."

"Sounds like a plan. Warn others to stay away from it or at least not drink?"

"Yeah, until we can fix it proper."

"You'rre the boss" A nod, then a slight smile "boss"

"Jeeeez, Gerd." She gets back up on Stormwake, to continue the patrol.

An almost Vali like chuckle, but she doesn't say more, just helping along

And the patrol continues, mostly uneventful

(end scene)

Brekke and Frank return to the Lodge after seeing Emmit back safe to the Farm and conferring with the leaders there. Kerri receives the large basket of goodies with a sigh. "Well, now I'm behind. Will have to make the one going back extra special."

"Ever think of just letting another chef take the lead?" Jaymes asks

If looks could kill....

After a moment, Kerri whisks the basket into the kitchen. Jaymes might get the distinct impression that he's not going to be offered any of it.

Tove winces and gives her husbannd a LOOK

"What?" Jaymes blinks confused

Brekke asks those present, "Any word?"

Jaymes responds "Per my daughter's orders- Lut and Tig are patrolling the north... and Jordan, now-sained, has been paired with Olgar to the southern. Siv and Jonas take the east. Dagmar and Gerd took the west. No sighting of Thallian in the barony, but Olgar says one of our trods was closed, and not by him"

Brekke nods at each description. She seems to approve. The information about the trod concerns her, clearly. "Any idea which trod?"