#rivervale_lodge

"SO," Vali smiles as Professor Wayburton crashes near the fire, "How did it go?"

"Myrine is delightful," Cornelius answers, "Quite young for a grand dame by the way. Something a bit wilder to her yet. There's a local sorority helping her too. And I'll be visiting. I might even teach at Rutgers some this year to have an excuse to mentor her."

"And seduce the sorority?" Vali asks casually

A snort from the Professor "I'm old enough to be their uncle, I'm old enough to be Myrine's Uncle." A beat "Which is why I KNOW I should seduce them. I can offer experience" A wink

Vali shakes his head but chuckles "I don't understand satyrs, but if I were you I'd watch out for mortal disapproval. They don't know about 'old souls' etc. They only see a professor with authority possibly abusing it." A cautious look. He is not a college teacher but he IS a teacher.

Wayburton tuts "Oh Vali. Not you too? Not all satyrs are just about sex."

"My apologies. So you did NOT try to seduce Myrine?" A brow lift.

Enjoying the fire, restoring his glamour, the Professor chuckles, "I'll tell you something, Sir Knight. I DID try. And for a moment, she seemed... receptive. But then, it happened."

"What happened?" Vali knows he shouldn'tt ask, but while not as 'progressive' as Siv, he's not as restrained as Frank or Brekke and so ... yes he asks

"ABD" The older Wayburton laments

Vali blinks "America's Best Dancing?"

Wayburton shakes his head, his curled horns swaying "Academic Bed Death"

Vali goes positively nonplused

"Pardon?" the troll finally says, hoping the man will clarify

"The seduction was a tango, verbal repostes, light flirtation.... suggestions, the proximity... and then? Then we started discussing our respective areas of study and where they intersected, and the influences they had on each other. With me, it's politics, with her, literature... and of course, history connects them strongly. It's really fascinating and the next thing we knew we spent FOUR hours in discussion over which political writings were the most persuasive to the masses of their time, and the incorporation of writing techniques that made them so. We agreed, we disagreed, we argued, we agreed again... " Professor Wayburton chuckles and shakes his head.

"Four HOURS... of..." Vali doesn't want to be rude "I'm a writer and even I'm not sure I'd go on that long about the subject."

"Academic Bed Death" Pr. Wayburton says again, sagely, "Perhaps one of the chief reasons you don't see large families with several young lads and lasses in tweed. We're our own birth control."

Vali smirks and chuckles "You poor guy. An intelligent conversation with a woman rather than just having sex on the first encounter?"

"I ENJOYED It, very very much" The professor admits, "And you're not the first to laugh at this story. My wife thinks it's hilarious."

Vali just can't imagine an open relationship like they have. The mortal side is dubious, but the troll side? Oh no. That giant would feel betrayed and hurt beyond a spear to the heart. Still, it seems to work for the professor and his kinain wife . And, there is one commonality "I think sometimes a good wife is like a pressure check on her husband's ego. Pumps him up when he's deflated, and takes the air out of it when he's..."

"Getting to full of himself" The professor agrees with a chuckle "Yes. We're both lucky men. I may invite Myrine over here to meet the missus. It's a cultural thing... she needs to learn what satyrs consider normal is on a different level than man, or even other kith. She's going to have ideas and I don't want her ashamed of them. Even if she chooses NOT to share herself with me, she should feel no shame in having those desires of her own. "

The idea of a satyr having shame surprises Vali a bit "Forgive, does that happen often? Satyrs having ..sexual hang ups, by the kith's standards?"

"Ohh yes, and it's not good," The professor assures, more somberly "It's not a deliberate shunning, but satyrs tend to ease away from those that can not or will not partake.. .we don't want to PUSH folks after all, but the results become much the same. I'm sad to say. A satyr with hang ups often has no trago. But he ..or she, is still a satyr. And NON Satyrs are cautious about him or her... skittish even. This means a hang up for a satyr can lead to isolation not just from their own kith, but all kithain. Their best chance is an understanding motely, but that's.. that's hard. "

"huh" Vali makes a mental note to learn more about satyrs from Piper and others . As Mountain not just for the lodge but the barony, he needs to be able to help. Though he blanches at what limits a satyr might ask for . He won't break an oath, but maybe he can make introductions. Then an idea, "Maybe Myrine can talk to Piper if she visits here?"

"I think Dagmar had much the same idea" A nod from the professor "Massey , lovely long haired lass, is a student there and involved thanks TO Dagmar. You know, Dagmar may defer to others, but she's got a lot of common sense for a wilder when push comes to shove."

"When she doesn't get in her own way," Vali agrees, "The Lodge is blessed to have her"

"Oh my wife still is fond of her, even if she came on too strong. " A nod

"Your wife is as passionate as any satyr, I've noticed" Vali approves "And one of her passions is caring."

"I believe the layman response to that is 'you said it, brother'" Cornellious nods

THAT does make Vali laugh, "Well, while you rest here, feel free to invite your wife for a Conjugal visit just.. quietly? Let's not spook we blue skins"

"mmph, kind of you" The professor smiles

"Married man myself" Vali says, leaving it at that. Then a thought "How's the rest of the family?"

The Wayburton father frowns "I worry about them. Lydia more than Zane of late. I love my daughter, but of late she seems melancholy. There are things she's hiding from us. I think. I.. know young teens need their privacy but... as a father I want to HELP... to tell her the way. Which, is probably a sure way to get her going the other way. It's very frustrating. Every father wants to be his little girl's hero. But eventually, every father worries he's been cast instead of the role of a warden or even flat out villain. Marsha is better at this than I am, being a kinian herself. I .. can miss clues."

"Don't we all," Vali says "I'm glad I've got a son I think. Not that i wouldn't love a daughter, but.. somethings I will be able to relate to more. It'll be easier I..."

The professor breaks into laughter, "You think a son will be... oh sweet Apollo you're serious? Teenage boys may have more range to wander and you may feel safer in some areas, but as a rule, they lose ALL survival instincts and take a lot more risks. Girls will work around you, boys will go horn to horn with you eventually. Rite of passage I suppose. I assure you, Zane , love him, was his own brand of headache and challenges for his mother and I."

Vali looks concerned, as he thinks back on what Zane has done, not from a teacher's perspective, but a father's. "Oh sweet Odin's ass. You're right."

"Oh you bet I'm right. What till your boy finds out you don't know everything. He'll have that leap where that means you don't know ANYTHING. You'll see him heading for a a cliff where the bridge is out, fast, and you'll yell at him to stop going down that path. You've taken it yourself. You warn him. You know what he'll do?"

Vali knows it's the wrong answer but tests hopefully "He slows down a little as he thinks it over?"

"He hits the fucking gas, that's what he'll do," The professor insists, "He'll not just ignore you, he'll DEFY you and put himself at terrible risk."

Vali's father AND troll instincts are alarmed for a teenager he doesn't even have yet, "Then what the hell is a parent to do?"

The professor looks at the younger teacher with surprise, as if the answer should be obvious "You get ready to catch him, Vali. You wait, and when or if he falls, you catch him. It's all you can do. Be there for him to soften the blow, to help him up again. So he can learn one lesson, and defy you on another. Oh... and be prepared for one other thing"

"what's that?" Vali asks nervously

"One day, he'll head towards this or that cliff, full speed.... you'll be all ready to catch him since you can't stop him... and.. miracle of miracles, he'll actually make the jump. The little bastard will grow wings right over you and make it. ANd there you'll be, an idiot with an unused net. " At that the satyr gives a smile that's sad and sweet "It will the most alarming and proudest day of your life"

At THAT , Vali relaxes, and nods "You ever tell Zane you're that proud of him?"

"Oh, we're not trolls, Vali. We express our feelings" The professor says, but then admits "Probably not enough."

"Bet it works for Lydia too," Vali advises.

"You know what?" The professor says "I'll try it. Thank you, Sir Knight."

"Thank you, Professor. I'll take any advise that will make me a better father" Vali nods

"You..." the professor says as he savors his drink by the fire "Are up to the challenge."

Vali lifts his own mug, and they toast each other.