#rivervale_lodge

Vali steps through the trod, looking very troubled.

And comes out, to the desk, sits down, and writes.

*******

After a bit, Kerri comes down from upstairs with a basket of linens to clean. "Oh! Hi, Vali. Can I get you anything on my way back from the kitchen?"

"Mmm? uhm.. I'm good" He says brow knit

She pauses a moment, then continues her way into the kitchen with the laundry. Some familiar kitchen-ish sounds...and soon she's returning, a mug of beer in each hand. She puts one down in front of him, then takes a seat nearby. "No, you're not," she diagnoses matter-of-factly.

"Mmm shows that much eh? Just seemed to have pissed two King sisters off. I guess I need to not butt in"

She takes a sip of her beer, nudging his closer to him. "Well, the good news is that you've run out of King sisters to piss off. What happened?"

"technically I could offend Dagmar, something to look forward to" Deadpan then "I thought Jessica would want an update on the Winter Witch sitch, got a copy of notes to hand over. I asked Siv to take the note book to her... and Siv said Jessica doesn't talk to her unless it's where she can order her around."

"Yes, I've heard that refrain."

"Which.. caught me off guard. So I go there to ask Jessica about it. FIgured it might be Fiona drama, purely imagiary... " A frown "Jessica pretends I didn't ask, in fact, I get the silent treatment like I never asked. I could understand a 'that's private between my sister and I' but... selective hearing of that magnitude... suddenly that confirms not all is well between the sisters"

A troubled look

"Well, yes, it seems to." Another sip. "And you want to fix it," she says for clarification.

"Want to, yes, SHOULD? Probably not" A frown "Doesn't mean I like that fact."

"I mean, my own ego aside, if I'm getting told by Siv 'No' and no dettails, and Jessica acts like I'm on mute ... maybe I'm not the one to help them if help they need"

"Well...if I may...?"

"Please" He says

Another sip before she begins. "It seems to me...that Siv is the type to reach out and then rail against possible solutions. That's okay...that's one way to be a wilder, and it's firmly Fiona. Jessica, though..." a pause "I learned a while ago that trying to manage Jessica just doesn't work. That's part of what drove her to venture around, nameless for a while. Too many people wanted to 'help' her."

"MMmm " He nods "I didn't mean to manage her, but I suppose I can see how it would come across that way. So you're saying I may have hit a sore spot. " A frown "I should have prepared better"

"Well, maybe not a sore spot with the topic, exactly, but...she doesn't react well to the suggestion that she's not dealing well with an issue, especially a relationship issue, regardless of the relationship. She'll shut right down. Eventually...hopefully...she'll work through to a way where she can work around the situation -- but she'll seldom confront it."

"At least," she qualifies, "that's how I see it."

"I didn't mean to suggest it either, heck, I thought her sis was over reacting... which of course is still possible" A shrug "But then... Jessica just... Shut down is a good word. Oh well, I..gave her the notes and came home before I could make it worse yet"

"I imagine they're both over reacting in some ways...and being completely rational in others. You never had sisters, Vali. This is the nature of the beast."

"Do you have a sister?" He asks

actually curious

A side-eye, and she nudges his mug towards him again. "Drink your beer," she says in lieu of answer, and takes another swig of her own.

He takes it, and gulps, then wipes his mouth "I point out the irony in that you're the second woman with selective hearing about my question. It sttruck me as a yes no kind of the thing"

A thought "Unless you have more than one sister. If you are trriplets I am SO writing a book ..not sure which of you gets the goatee"

"Well, I see it a little differently. I see it as the Beaumayne sometimes has to deal with the shoe being on the other foot." A wink.

Then more seriously, "You know I don't talk about my mortal family, Vali." She looks into her mug as she swirls it around.

Then she points at him, "And no siccing your wife on me, or Connor, to pry."

A chuckle at the first, then a wince at the second "I'm sorry, I forgot. you just seem to have so much of your shit together that it's easy to forget you have your baggage like the rest of us. My apologies. " Another swallow "I can't control my wife, she's got a prying mind of her own"

"Well, no 'just suggesting' comments to her, either." A hmph. "Anyway...about Jessica...the surest way to get shut out is to try to get involved when you think you know what she should be doing. It's frustrating, and occasionally hurtful...but that's Jessica, and I'd rather have contact with her even with those rules rather than not have contact with her at all."

"Noted. And I didn't knnow what she should be doing. I was hoping to learn wha was going on"

"Never going to happen. Not when it's a sister-thing. Not unless she offers the info first."

"the first rule of sibling club is you do not TALK about Sibling club?"

"Ha! Yes. Words to live by." She toasts him and the knocks back what's left of her beer. "Shall I leave you to nurse that?"

"yeah. Please. I have some writing to do" A beat "And, thanks, Kerri"

"My pleasure, Vali." She gets up and gives him a grin before heading back to the kitchen.

(End Scene)