#rivervale_lodge

Frank arrives to find the front of the lodge quite active. Trolls he does not recognize out and about

He carries his overnight bag up to the porch, regarding the unrecognized trolls stoically.

Connor waves! "OLD FRIEND! WE HAVE NEW FRIENDS! SO MANY!"

Connor is enjoying this!

"Hello Connor." the grump rumbles "So I see."

A little girl with an ugly face curtses, she is a troll. But then , all the new comers are.

There's a grinning wilder fellow tearing up weeds.

And an old woman who is a troll, a silverhaired granddame "Sir Franklyn, I'm Eirfrey. They told us you'd be returning. Must seem a bit mad here"

"I do have some questions." he admits.

"Please, ask away if you like. Can I get you a cup of coffee young man?"

"No, thank you. Can you tell me what's going on and who all these people are?"

"Yes sir, well, speaking of myself and Happy first, it turns out Gerd was asked to keep a look out for possible trolls to recruit to join Bergen. We're from Texas an area under a less than pleasant Count. Now the young girl, this is Ashblythe, she's only visiting as she's very dear to Baroness sparrow but it was hoped she'd learn about about troll culture. And somewhere around here are three DeBukes patroling hard"

"Baroness Sparrow is loved here, and my House sister. Hello Ashblythe." If he has noticed her blighted face, his expression doesn't reveal it.

"Hello, Sir Franklyn" the girl curtsies again . "Baroness Sparrow said to send her regards. She talks about how kind a mentor you were to her"

“Sir Once-Mountain Frank is the strongest there IS.” Connor boasts. “He folds up bad guys like orry-gammy.”

"Please give her my best when you see her."

"I will" She says, then smiles at Connor "Connor and the other Kids are really being nice to me" then an aside to Frank "I thought at first it was a Shadowpaw Clan plot, but i think they're just really nice"

"There is no such thing as the Shadowclaw!

Brown Dog wag-wags! Connor and the kids are fun, even if Sam isn't here. And they often have snacks to share!

" Clearly not," Eir Frey says and says "Did you kids want some sweets? I have some in my purse"

Connor knows that Dagmar is away for a bit. But with all these new friends visiting, he is distracted. And soon she'll be back! Right? Right!

HAS she had that 'College' talk with him yet? HMMM

HAS she?

That sounds an awful lot like a conflict which will make Connor sad....

Pish and tosh! He'll be fine! Right!

Ashbylthe elbows Connor and whispers "Do we want sweets? I think we do"

"I'm going to step inside, put my things down. Will you folk excuse me?"

He was deep in a thought that threatened to make his ears wilt, but he perks RIGHT back up! "We're not supposed to eat sweets before Dinner. But what is before, really? What really is time? It's an arty-fitchal construct and no one knows what it means. So I think that means that we have some!"

"Besides, dinner never comes when you're hungry, and when you're off playing, it comes too fast... " He reasons!

"Of course , sir Frank" Eir Frey offers Frank a Lemondrop before he goes "or a peppermint?"

"That's very kind of you but no thank you." He says with a kind set to his beard, and heads inside and up to his room; other changes inside the Lodge?

He goes in, and the Childlings have an offer of lemondrops, Peppermints, and grape or orange life savers

Frank goes in, and sees a DeBuke girl pouring coffee, the wilder .. what was her name ? Eulalie? She's grown. ANd he sees Vali and Zane working over things

A hand dangles from the rafters - he could remain unseen, but the small motion is a respectful nod to Frank, Symon letting him know that the Sluagh is present.

Zane looks up "Mou.. Sir Frank. " He nods

"Hello Zane. Vali. Eulalie, good to see you again." He doesn't mention the sluagh, just in case he's being hidey.

"Frank," The Mountain says "We have a curse to undo"

An eyebrow. "We do?"

"You've met Ashblythe?" Vali says "Sweet kid"

"I have. She seems sweet, yes."

Eulalie looks around "Good to see you again, sir" But she looks around as if searching for a mouse in the walls

After a time, the smallest mote of dust falls from the rafters to brush the back of the troll's neck.

She swats at her neck as if it were mosquito

Vali nods "Her blighted face .... Zane and I have a working theory. " He shows him the paperwork on the omens cast "We think someone tried to leach glamour off her during a dream dance. I don't mean got fed, I mean borderline ripping it out of her"

"That's...." words fail him.

A faint hiss from the rafters, like air escaping a pot on the boil.

"Horrific' Zane says "Malicious, abominable, or just plain evil?"

"A shattering of the Escheat, certainly.

"But it makes sense" Vali says "Constant tithe from the former baron in that area? The changelings there were starving. Other option is this... the Baron himself leached it from her, directly or otherwise... either way, I think it marred her face. She was meant to have a small scar, we're talking less than Harry Potter, A reminder of a past life crime or event... but this ... reaping during her dream dance, it magnified it"

Zane sighs "We're working on how to undo it"