#rivervale_lodge

"I know, Eddie, you can't protect me up here... but I'm okay, really..." She assures.

This is, of course, when a great Chimerical bird bigger than a horse grabs her and yanks her away

Eddie goes nuts, barking, then races about looking for help!

Frank glances up from his packing, and goes to check on Eddie's barking.

Eddie is barking and seems to be trying to leap in the sky as she prances on her back legs, nose up

Frank looks up.

Frank has been around too long and is too learned not to know a 'Roc' bird when he sees one. This one is more than large enough to grab Gerd, and he can see her leg sticking out between the curled talons. But why isn't she flicker flashing away? Does this particular Roc have some ward against that in part of its nature.

"Hm. Early for Thanksgiving...." he pulls out his cell phone and carefully dials Vali.

All without moving his eyes from the Roc.

Vali picks up "What's up, Frank?" He doesn't assume it is an emergency because Frank prefers voice to text

"I'm watching Gerd. She's... having some trouble with air traffic control. Thought you might want to take a look."

"Air Traffic Control?" A pause "I'm at the school right now. We've been told to show up for an organizational meeting regarding summer opportunities... it was supposed to start 10 minutes ago but the Administrators are late. Because of course they are"

"Mm. Any suggestions on who I could get in touch with, then? Sooner is better than later, I think. She's moving...." and Frank gives a rough idea of the direction of travel.

"Frank... assuming no 'autumn ears' are around you, when you say Air Traffic Control, what do you mean?"

"You know what we usually have as the main course for Thanksgiving dinner? She's losing an argument with one."

"A giant Turkey? What.. the.. okay. If I leave right now, it'll take me a while to get there. "

"Other suggestions?"

"Try to scry her? Get more help? See if Jaymes is nearby and ask him to the storm thing if he's not going to fry her too? I... I'm slipping out now"

"I'll call the troops." Frank hangs up and mutters "Time to show up, Old Man." as he dials Jaymes.

"What in the...?!" A voice from above. Well, actually, a voice from an upstairs window. Kerri looked out to see what all the barking was about, and is staring aghast at the Roc.

Jaymes answers "King's Convenience store. Owner speaking"

"Jaymes, Frank. Gerd's in a bit of trouble and I don't have the skills to help. Do you think you can?"

"GET BACK HERE!" she orders the bird, using her sovereign voice, but not at all certain that it'll work.

The Roc... struggles.... but slowly it turns its wings .. it doesn't want to obey and is returning SLOWLY

And Jaymes says "Maybe. Let me leave the new girl in charge' I'm close. What sort of trouble?"

She tries to judge how high up it is. Any chance it's at window height and might actually bring it to the window?

Still at least 35 feet over the lodge roof, and that's not counting distance from non altitude

"You know the bird we have at Thanksgiving? Gerd's losing an argument with one. But... Kerri is working on it too."

And Jaymes says "On my way. Once I get there I can put a little wind factor in"

"Dammit," she mutters. But at least the bird isn't getting farther away.

And Jaymes hangs up

Frank can see Kerri has somehow ordered it back

Kerri's gears are turning. How to capture it, or lure it down....

"Ah!" she exclaims, and she vanishes back inside the Lodge window, apparently going to get something.

Ylva is confused, on what's going on. She missed the dictum, "The dog's barking crazy, Hearth, and... why is the lodge in shadow in the summer?"

Kerri rushes to the fridge and pulls out a large...ham? The upper leg of some sizable beast, anyway, not yet cooked. "Ylva, stay inside for now, please. But you should watch from a window. Be prepared in case any of us call for aid." Without another word, she rushes outside to the yard where Frank is.

She gives a sharp whistle to get the roc's attention, then holds the ham high. "If it's feeding young," she explains to Frank, "maybe this'll be a bit of a temptation."

SHe nodss, grabs her own weapon and rushes to a window

Frank follows the bird along on the ground, feeling helpless.

The whistle catches the attention, so does the Ham, the Roc is clearly pulled by more than one force, but.. it does lower to snatch the ham with its beak, putting it in ground range briefly!

Kerri does her best to hang on to the ham enough to keep it down. "Get her, Frank!" she yells, nodding towards what she can see of Gerd.

Frank, unprepared but alert, leaps up to grab hold of what he can of Gerd.

Hopefully Kerri will put up enough of a struggle that the roc will decide it needs to use a claw, too, to get the ham, thus releasing Gerd a bit.

Gerd gives a surprised sound as Frank grabs her leg and holds on. "I can't flicker flash out., I don't know why" She says.

Kerri ends up holding HALF a ham as the beak takes a large chunk of it. It seems to be flapping trying to take off again.

An alarmed look at the remains of the ham. "No no no no no no NO!" While it's still in reach, she tries to wallop its face, using what's left of the ham like a club.

Frank grabs for a hand-hold on the Roc as well as Gerd's leg.

He does that easily , now percheded outside of the talon grip even as Gerd is with in.

The ham whap ... drives the roc to the ground? No, that's a sudden down burst of wind... as Jaymes can be seen in the distance

There is a furious sound, as Edelwies has had enough, tearing at the parts of the Roc she can reach