#rivervale_lodge

Siv enters into the hold, carrying her bottled ship. She is bandaged, which is the only thing keeping her from leaving blood on the floor, that and the fact she wiped sea weed off her feet.

Brekke has been pacing, waiting to speak with Vali. She turns when the door opens. "Siv?!" Then she sees the blood. "SIV!"

She goes to her abruptly and helps her to a seat near the balefire.

"No time, mom permission to put the Narwhal near the balefire? She got damaged... she's my SHIP, Mor" Eyes wide with a kind of fear., She does love her ship

"Yes, do it. Then sit down." She understands ships. However, she also understands her daughter may well be willing to die for that ship, and that's not going to happen.

She places it there , the bottle holding but one can see the damage to the ship model within. THere's litteraly a bandaid on it "Ok. I can get a heather balm on her later after I do some body work to make sure it heals right but the fire will help " She stares at it and the balefire for a moment, then seems to remember her mother's demand she sit down. Taking a chair NEAR the ship, she flops down with a lack of grace quite unlike her.

"You need a heather balm yourself. Wait a moment."

"Sure" she says a bit dazed

She goes briefly to the kitchen (reluctant to leave Siv's side) and returns with a cloth and a bowl of water. A moment's pause as she focuses, then she brings a seat close to Siv. She sits next to her, and begins to carefully clean the blood away from her face. With each touch of the damp cloth, Siv can feel tingles of glamour seeping in, healing her slowly.

The works wonders, mother's touches are magical by nature, all the more if your mom is a giantess of legend "Thanks, my mor. I'm... feeling a wee bit foolish now"

"Shhh..." She leans in and kisses Siv's forehead, then continues with the damp cloth. "What happened?"

"Stupid pride, and not thinking things through. I was glorious despite that, but it almost cost me ship." Siv says "I... ran into someone. Someone who... with innocent arrogance at worst, honest ignorant warmth at best, called me 'ma'am'... now Gerd uses that term sometimes, but not to me, so I wasn't ready for it. I know Willows and parts of grass see different, but it made me feel.. old. They also asked when I last adventured... quested SOMETHING... and ... when I mentioned mother hood. I got wished well on my retirement" She rolls her eyes "It just got .. all under my skin. I.. I am a mor myself. I LOVE my kids, I love my folx, but that does not make me JUST a mother, or just a spouse... or just .. any one thing. So I... went out to prove myself. Go take down a sea monster like the old days. "

Brekke, of course, already knows who said all this to her, but now is not the time to say so. She says, "It seems that you found one," and nods towards the wounded ship in its bottle.

"Oh no mother, I made one of the biggest mistakes a Fiona can. " A weak smile "I forgot even monsters can have some one that loves them. I found a sea monster.... a contact told me it was raiding up and down Jamaca's coast. So.... I went to 'help' but really to vent my ire I Suppose. I had the element of surprise, used the Narwhal's weapons took it in the sidde and wounded it. It came for me, Harpoon was launched. It hurt me some, dinged the ship... but I had it on the ropes and unable to escape." A breath "THat IS, of course, when the sea monster's MATE showed up, fresh, unwounded, and very very angry"

Brekke winces. "Of course it did," she says with a tone of hindsight.

"Of course" She nods

"Did you release the wounded one?"

"It had been killing kithain, mother... " She answered "No. I did not spare it... and at that point, I am not sure I could have, it was bleeding out. But I felt a profound guilt over it regardless. The Narwhal took a pounding, and the other would have killed me if not for aid from some Selkie tribe that had come to ...well, i don't think they SOUGHT to rescue me, but they'd lost kinain to it or so it seemed"

She frowns and nods. "The mate is dead now, too?"

A look at her mother, "Oh no. The selkie saved me, bought me time to break free... then they retreated and I managed to wound it again even as the Narwhal took on water. The wounded sea monster had to retreat. I do nae think it was.. intelligent, but it knows my taste and scent now, and I am sure if we met in those waters again it will come for me"

"Unless it itself is taken out by a greater chimera itself... it's going to heal, heal and hate. " A frown "I feel more villain than hero"

"That it will," Brekke says with certainty. "And your family as well, if it can."

"Well, then," Siv says straightening up "That settles that. I shall see to the Narwhal's repair, and go hunting for it. I will finish what I started."

"No."

"You just said it would be after my FAMILY, mother. " She reminds

"Yes. But your ship is in pieces, and your family is on land for now. You must go to them and be present for them now and for as long as you can."

"i'm not even sure how long I've been gone" She admits "I just.. I left messages. Felt like just a few hours but... twas not fair to Piper or Jonas...and mayhaps not fair to the babies"

"It has been days, but not weeks, fortunately."

"DAYS?" Alarm "Oh gods of sea and shore... " A frown "THe narwhal will be repairable, it's not in that many pieces, but Aye. I ... oh. In trying to prove I'm not JUST a life mate and mother, I proved I am a lousy life mate and mother" A wince

"The Mountain is seeking omens about your safety. Had we known you were in this much peril, your father and I would have come after you."

A nod. "I am glad you came to that conclusion without me having to say it."

"Oh, I may have passed through the Devil's Triangle, still has some magic to it"

A wince at her mother's honesty

"Ouch. Just.. ouch" She says

"You are not 'lousy' -- but you let your passion and your pride overrule your sense."

"Aye," She does not try to defend against it "I did. I Should not have."

"Siv...you are still very much the adventurer, the hero. Do not allow others' misperceptions dictate your actions. You must remember your truth."

"Right now, parenthood is your adventure, and it is a challenge unlike those with which you are familiar."

A weak smile "A childlling no less. Do not take action against her. In theory I was the adult in that conversation. In theory." Then she listens and says "Mother, I .. I do worry I'm losing a lot about myself I LIKE. I travel. I LIKE that. I get into some scrapes to help folks. I LOVE that about me. And I love the sea.. but can't drag Jonas and Piper along too much let alone the babies. you were chief before, and chief after. How.. how much of yourselves did I cosst you and father?"

"Hm. Truthfully, it is not the same. You were born on a ship in the Dreaming, in the midst of a great adventure. Motherhood and adventure were tandem experiences for me. I know that is not the case for you, and I can understand your frustration. I think, Siv, that you must endure a great trial for any Fiona: patience."

"Patience, most hated of virtues, and we Fiona sometimes prefer vice anyway" HALF joking "Aye. Was a challenge before I joined the Lion to be fair. One way I matched it. I think I Shall be spending more free time here in the hold to slow my own aging juust a bit. Call it a vanity. Of course, that means the grand children will be here even more often."

"Well, I think that would be a good plan," Brekke says with a slight grin. "Be careful about how much glamour they get, as well."

"Aye, that's truth." She nods "And I'll be going home at night of course, lest Piepr and Jonas riot" A look at her mother "You never lied to me. Even when it hurt you to say it. Not sure I ever thanked you for that. You or da. " she hugs her mother "I'm going to miss you. So maybe staying land bound so I can enjoy your time before you go."

Then she pulls back "Oh, I've got some blood on YOU now, sorry mother"

To be fair, the blood had dried mostly so not much.

"It is our blood, Siv. Do not apologize." She draws her daughter in for a hug.

Siv smiles and falls back into the hug happily. "Oh, I got some high quality coffee from Jaimaica, I don't think it's too fancy but if you don';t like it, others can have it. Just figured Kerri might like some rarer stuff to draw on since Gerd is all tea now. I.. would love to have dinner with you and da, but I best go to see how my kids are doing and apologize to Jonas and Piper" Regretful

"You do have some apologies to make. And some stories to tell. The Narwhal will be safe here."

"Aye, try not to go tooling aorund in it behind my back even if it does get fixed up" Faux hurumph, a reluctant parting "Maybe I can talk them into having dinner here tonight. Think Kerri would mind three more at the table and two babies nearby tonight?"

"I will let her know."