#rivervale_lodge

Of all the folks one might expect to show up at the lodge, Gold finch Veep Etsie might not be one of them. The old She Goat knocks at the door

Kerri is on the other side of the door when it opens. "Etsie? Come in! Is everything okay?" She ushers the elder inside.

"Well, my hip throws out more than it used to, but I've at least one lover who lieks that if I time it right so loss gain there" she smiles 'how are you, Kerri? And things are fine but you might be just the lady I wanted to talk to"

Kerri blinks and gives a little headshake to recover from the oversharing. Not that she's offended! No, she's definitely amused. "Well, I'm all ears, but let me get you something to eat and drink first?" she offers.

"Oh please, wouldn't say no to your cooking or even your snacks. I love goldfinch but the vending machine lotto is a humbling thing"

"Then get comfortable, and I'll be right back." She heads into the kitchen.

A few minutes later she returns with little apple pastries. "I love this time of year for baking. Coffee?"

"Any chance that coffee could have a little Irish in it's heritage?" A smile

"I got you." A wink, and soon Etsie has a pleasantly doctored coffee to go with her pastry.

"Now, tell me what's going on."

Kerri takes a seat nearby with her own cup of coffee.

"Well, as you may have heard, your daughter's in college. Set me up with a nice veep job by vote and all to help out. And I like it, but Siv dropped by to drop off some donuts and she also , of course, drops by Goldfinch because Piper is one of the pillars of our community." She says "And she mentioned that Siv really wanted to know how things were going in Goldfinch, and maybe felt bad, siv's guess, she wasn't there as much as she used to be so on." A look at Kerri "And that Dagmar barely spoke while she was there, and seemed to slip out quick after a time, not feeling social. SO Siv suspects she's a bit nervous too about the adjustment. Now, Dagmar is a fine young lady, but she's a Rivervaler through and through. Sylvi is Goldfinch true. But it seemed to me...." A long sip

Kerri has been listening with growing concern. "...Yes?"

"That when they come home on a weekend, we should spoil the hell out of them, let them know we are their biggest fans, I was thinking a six hour party or something! Not just with the wild gold finch crowd, but something to di wht the horses and out door stuff for Dagmar. Favorite foods, favorite music... and stuff for Symon too. Maybe a quieter area with a collection of dead insects on pins or whatever he's into . As that last indicates, I don't claim to KNOW what they'd like. But we need to show em that they're missed, and loved, but we're also rooting for em"

Kerri grins. "I think that sounds like a great idea. Of course, I haven't heard from Sylvi except for quick little I'm-fine-gotta-go type messages. I suppose college is really keeping them busy. And I don't want to press...but maybe they'll come back for a weekend soon? Hopefully they'll let us know ahead of time."

Her grin fades a bit. "Of course...there's the possibility they won't appreciate us making a big deal out of things...."

"I think we'd find a way to coax them " she says "And you're your daughter's MOTHER, she's not going to burden you with any worries or glums. She wants to be strong and independent, huddledi n a corner chewing her own hair like an adult" a wink "Your kid's got pride. Blame the father if that helps. But I figure a hold coorporation for it work work"

"Oh now, that's possible on some levels, but i bet even if they roll their eyes, they'll be touched by the effort"

"Perhaps. Well, we've got to be prepared for the possibility that they'll come home without much in the way of warning." She pauses. "I need to go buy some Dr. Pepper."

"Dagmar's brew?" Making sure

"Exactly. Oh, we need to let AnneMarie and Tove know, so we don't end up conflicting with anything they want to do."

"Hmm."

"Anne Marie's busier than a working girl near a beached submarine, but true. And Tove knows what her daughter likes, we can adapt with input"

"Exactly. And as I'm thinking of it...I have a strong suspicion that 'being spoiled' for Dagmar means sitting on the couch with her family, watching Forged in Fire and eating pizza bites. I don't know if she'd want a fuss that draws her away from that...."

"Oh" A brow knit "I fear i did not make a good impression on that girl. I come on too strong"

"How about this...how about we have them here for a 'tell us all about Rutgers' dinner? We'll make it a barbecue -- it's still warm enough for that -- and so people can come and go as they like. No big speeches or anything, but certainly music, and CAKE, but not going too long into the night?"

"I like it. How about some of the critters accessible .. most introverts I knwo that won't come out of a corner will coo happily over a mutt for an hour in their own space"

"I don't think we could prevent the critters from being present if we tried! And remember, we also have a secret weapon -- Connor."

"Ha, that little munchkin"

"He's so good at what he does."

"That kid is a ray of sunshine, should call him Cloudbane"

"Nice! You should suggest that to Dagmar."

"I will . Now about your girl, now I understand she has a nunnehi friend? Maybe we can arrange that young lady a visit?"

"For a weekend? Hmm...maybe? I'm not sure where she's living right now. And I think the trick with surprise visits set up by third parties is that, sometimes, the people involved might not want to visit at that moment."

"Darn hassle" A mmm and chuckle "Fair. Still, if you're willing to talk to Tove and help coordinate I'd be happy to let you take lead on this unofficially, then officially, if Sylvi asks, why, 'mom' is just one part of it, and it was MY idea. If you see how I'm trying to antcipate eh?"

A laugh. "Oh, that's good, and thank you. You're absolutely right...they deserve to be spoiled, and they might even want to be spoiled, but if they don't, you're kind to take the 'blame' for it."

A wink "Just so. I can take a few lumps OR Victory laps"

"You're welcome to both," she says with a wink in reply.

A happy sip of coffee, "Now, how are you doing? I'm on Sylvi's side, and that means making sure the mom she loves is doing okay"

"Well..." and now that the planning is over, the true chat can begin.

And so it doe

s*

(End scene, maybe tbc)