#rivervale_lodge

"If you want to be my Knight, and I want to be your Squire, then no one can stop us. Not any dumb school, or, um, any bad guys, or even the Shadowpaw! They wouldn't, but you know, they couldn't, neither." Stubbornly sticking out his chin.

"I'm worried about maybe.. maybe not being here enough? About not doing right by you. About hurting you by being away for days at a time. We can talk on your watch, or on the computer, but I know it's not the same." A grimace. "Kerii's right. I don't like when things are different. I'm scared of losing people."

He squares his shoulder and reaches out to pat her on the hand. "I'm your squire! I'm supposed to help you!"

"You wanna know a secret? You -can't - lose me." He taps the tip of his nose. "The nose knows. I can always find you."

That gets a tiny smile. "That's good."

Connor stands tall. He knows his duty, it is to support his Knight. His knight is worried, and scared, and hurting. He can make it better. And in doing so, it gives him purpose, which outweighs any little niggling fears of his own. She NEEDS him. Dagmar needs him to be strong. He'll do it for her!

Thoughtfully, "I need to go to school. There is a lot I need to learn."

She nods. "Maybe you could try mortal school with Jack and Lane this year."

"Oh, not THAT school."

Dismissive! He grins.

"Or stay at the Farm, I think either would be good. And I am going to talk to the Chief about having you do patrols on your own. I think you're ready for that."

"I have CORN school. I like corn!" He smiles. "I have our Special," He carefully touches the fragile ornament with a finger. "But we only gots ONE of those. And my nose only goes when the nose knows how to go. If I can learn how to do a sparkle-findy, I can find you anytime."

"So if YOU get into trouble, I can come save YOU."

The smile, still quiet, grows warmer. "You could, yeah."

He takes a deep breath, bolstering himself up for something big, something important.

"...are you gonna eat that cheesy thing?" Glancing at her mostly untouched danish.

"I think there's more than one..."

"Yeah, but that one looks like it needs eating."

"Maybe I have the stomach for it now."

"If not, we can go for a quest. A quest for a stomach!" He holds aloft an invisible sword.

"Why don't we quest to see if there are more danishes?"

"HUZZAH!"

"Can I come see you at school some times?"

"Totally! Symon might hiss, but he'll deal. If you bring Lily, he might be less grumpy."

"Symon ALWAYS hisses."

"Lovecraft is sweeter than him." Connor giggles. "And she HATES me."

"I might bring Odin with me, but Brown Dog has to stay at the house."

"He's going to need a lot of reassurance." Heading to find the rest of the danishes!

Connor trots along!

And danishes are had!

Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? (SCENE!)

********

As the grandfather clock hits the thirteenth hour, it threatens to burst .... swelling and sounding it's bell, but the Balefire sends forth a spark, spitting out a mote of energy at the clock as if either holding it open just a bit more... or lighting the way, or perhaps both. With a rush and a tumble, Brekke finds herself falling out of the clock ...

nor is she alone, others she quested with do like wise, and only now does the clock break into pieces

She stumbles awkwardly and catches herself on a nearby chair, turning to see what is happening behind her. Where...?

She remembers...the bastard heir, the son not of Hagard, but a minotaur born of the redbull who.. no it's leaving her already! Her head is spinning

"Whee!" Connor says as he tucks and rolls.

Thudding into a couch.

"Ope."

Frank staggers out after Connor.

She mutters it quickly to have it said and remembered: "The bastard heir was the minotaur, born of the redbull, and....and..." she shakes her head, grasping for the memory of it.

Frank realizes that Bunni.. Nabuni, is.. he remembers she is in the Dreaming searching for her love as he searched for her... and she's ...was she always a Satyr?

A splat, as the little sluagh girl lands less gracefully than connor

Brekke looks to Frank and Connor, making sure they're not too obviously hurt.

And Lily!

Connor remembers that he snuck Lily along. Hopefully Brekke forgot that THAT came out.

He rubs the base of his horns.

He helps her to her feet. "What a surprise! My friend!"

She looks to Frank. "I cannot...did we...succeed?"

Lily wiggles her bare toes, then says "I'm still a sluagh? Yes, my brothers both worked to help save..." Then she blinks losing the memory, and she hisses "Darn it, the memory was mine. How rude." but.. she smiles and wiggles her toes as Connor helps her to her feet, "we won, I remember that much. There was a price. all the best stories have a price, but... I do resent losing my memories of it. still better than losing my sluagh hood."

"You need your sluagh hood, or else you might get sunburned." He nods.

Lily rolls her eyes, so much the whites show. Which both shows her loftiness above word play (Even if she thought that clever really) and wigs people out