#rivervale_lodge

An unusual situation, Vali is cooking in the kitchen of the hold. His son Theon Brek looking eager for a meal

Three and a half, the boy kicks his feet to make noise while he waits in his chair

Vali is certainly not the person that Kerri expected to find wearing an apron. "Doing lunch duty, Mountain?"

"A true parent trap" He says as he cooks the grilled cheese sandwiches. It's a bit slap dash but should come out okay. "The wife is out there being a hero. Firefighting and such. And we've got an understanding"

"YUP" Theon chimes in "Boys can cook too"

Only he's 3 so it might be a bit garbled

"Hello, Theon," Kerri says with a smile. She doesn't use a babytalk tone. "And yes, they can. When I went to study with the chefs, there were several men who were excellent cooks. But grilled cheese is a true art form."

Theon grins "I LOVE grilled cheese"

"Two weeks ago you loved PB&Js, now it's only grilled cheeses" Vali looks over at his son "Was there a bug in the jelly ?"

Theon laughs "NO" He seems a chipper boy

Vali looks at the Hearth "Want me to make you one, Hearth? I haven't killed anyone yet"

"When one is developing a sense of taste, it's important to commit to one at a time," Kerri says seriously. "And yes, I'd love one, Mountain, thank you."

"Aunt Kerri is COOL" Theon beams

"Aunt Kerri is agreeing with you. You might be biased" Vali tells his son, but he smiles a bit, and nods to Kerri

And gets to work on one for her

"My coolness is accepted as fact," she says smugly to Vali, then winks to Theon.

"is a fact dad" Theon nods in somber, well, semi somber, agreement

Vali mutters something about 'sharper than a serpent's tooth' but says "Okay. Okay. But I can't sing Peanut Butter Jelly Time when I'm serving grilled Cheese" And he hands Kerri a plate with a grilled cheese "See if you like. I understand the Hearth around here picks good cheeses" Humor in his eyes

She accepts with a nod and takes a nibble. "Mm! Well, I think it's pretty good...but let's see what the true expert has to say, right, Theon?"

Theon looks around, then realizes she means him, and says "oh! yes, I'll see"

Vali hands one over to his son, and says "Here you go. Now, what do we do when we get food?"

"THANK YOU" He yells it, a bit loud, but clearly a mannerly boy

"You are most welcome" Vali smiles at his son "Loud, but welcome"

Kerri chuckles, and then echoes the boy, "Yes, thank you, Mountain."

"You're welcome too, Kerri." he says and looks for his son's reaction to the food.

The boy bites, tenatively at first, then begins biting with gusto mm "Ifs good" He says, perhaps forgetting to swallow first. But thne he is not quite four

"You're a very kind judge" Vali says

"No da" T he boy says, this time mouth not full "Is even better than normul"

Vali looks surprised, "Huh, it must be the cheese. What type was I using?" He wonders aloud.

It may hurt Kerri a little that he apparently just grabbed the nearest cheese in their fridge and used it

Whatever the cheese is, the boy loves it

She checks the fridge. "Lucky pull...it was the Gruyere. Perfect melt-ability."

"Gru has minions" Theon comments

"I also approve of the grilling technique. Just the right amount of butter. Well done."

"Well, thank you. Gruyere eh?" He makes a mental note of it, then mutters "Tell me it's not a super expensive cheese? I have to feed this little monster" Fondly

"Well, it depends. It's definitely going to be more costly than that American cheese-stuff. But not too much, usually. Of course, it's possible to get very expensive versions of just about any kind of cheese, depending on the source."

"Theon, can we agree that the Gruyere is the special-treat cheese? Not the all-the-time cheese?"

Theon ponders this . Clearly he would love it all the time, but then, he was asked to agree and it..."Gru IS special" He admits, then says "Okay" He beams

Vali looks relieved, "I will keep an eye out for it on sales, promise, son"

"THanks, Dad" the boy says, and finishes eating "Can I go play with Oak?"

Kerri nods approval at the boy's mature decision.

"Yes you may, if he wants to" A nod

The boy gets to his feet and he hugs his father's legs "Thanks! Love Gru cheese. It's special" Almost conspiratorial then he gives Kerri's legs a hug too "Bye AUnt Kerri!"

And he races off before adults can change their mind.

Vali watches him go, trusting the dog to watch his son from doing something TOO foolish "Kerri, how do you do that?"

"Bye, Theon. Have fun, and listen to Oak." She tidies up the boy's plate and goes to wash it. "Do what?"

"Sell air conditioners to Alaskan natives" He says, "You know ... that way with kids you have, getting them to... accept that what they want isn't always how it is going to be? I mean, I love Theon, but he's not even four yet. He's not firing on all cylinders when it comes to selfless thinking. Not yet"

"Well, don't ascribe miracles to me yet. He agreed because his tummy is full. He'll almost certainly forget the agreement when there's less-special cheese being grilled, and make a fuss. That's the nature of the beast. But you've taught him some very good manners."

Vali looks proud , "Well, I did have some important training myself there. He's a good kid. So be ready for a back slide. That's fair. Thanks, Hearth" A realization "OH Geez.I almost forgot. Your husband is at the lake house. Apparently the fridge there gave out. He's trying to fix it" He doesn't say 'by himself'

"Oh, boy. Well, he'll need fortification..." She reaches into the fridge for a couple of beers. "Back in a bit!" And off goes the Hearth to rescue the tinkering Rover.