#rivervale_lodge

When the event winds down, Kerri, now Chief, may find Sally Mae working in the kitchen with Clem

Kerri is still a bit hungover (she could do something about that, but sometimes a hangover is a necessary humility) from the room she has shared with Olgar for many years. She intends for both of them to move upstairs at some point. Eventually. "Good morning, Sally Mae. Clem? I didn't realize you'd stayed over."

"You're welcome, of course!" she clarifies quickly.

"You told me we should talk after" Clem reminds "Sally Mae is putting me up at her place"

"Oh. Oh, dear. I'm so sorry, Clem. I...guess I got a little carried away," she says sheepishly.

"You might have had a bit much on your plate, like everything?" Clem smiles "If this is a bad time, it can wait . "

"Well..." Kerri looks down at her bathrobe. "If you can forgive a bit of informality while you join me for some coffee?"

"Sure can. I've got a comfy robe that most folks think is an eyesore, least yours looks nice" Clem wipes her hands

Sally Mae shudders "That green-ish looking thing?"

"that's the one" Clem says

"This one's gone through plenty of heatherbalms in its time," she admits.

"Hey, 'the right robe' is 'the right robe' " Clem says ignoring the dig on her green-ish robe by her cousin

"Come on," Kerri says, leading Clem into the main hall and getting them both big mugs of coffee, letting her fix hers the way she likes. She then settles on a bench at one of the long tables. Not the big chair. Not yet.

Clem follows her and takes a seat, "How's it sinking in?" Clem has only a touch of cream and a light sprinkle "I wanted to be Chief, and it still had me stunned"

"Well..." Kerri looks over to the balefire. "It's...still surreal." A pause. "It's a funny sort of weight, isn't it? Not a bad one, of course."

"You thought you felt one with the land before, then you'll really find more so now." She nods "But even without that mystical aspect, yeah, the responsibility .. in all it's terrible obligation and glorious honor both fills you and yes, weighs down . When I first did it, it was like..." SHe ponders the right words "It was like I was more complete than ever... and yet accuately aware I NEEDED to be"

Kerri considers this a moment, then nods. "Very well put," she says, toasting the other chieftain with her mug.

After another sip she asks, "How are you doing?"

She returns the toast "Oh I'm a mixed up pup too, but for a different reason." She admits "I was harsh on you, very Seelie in its way, but that doesn't mean it was just of me. And I did DO the right thing, and ... someone got hurt anyway. So I sent yet someone else to rescue the other. And... now I have what I wanted anyway, but well, any scars are on me"

"I completely understand about the harshness, Clem. It wasn't pleasant, but it was understandable. Now...I think I missed a few steps. Can you give me a bit more details? Not a lot, just enough to bring it up to a Reader's Digest version."

"Sent a sluagh f riend, Mr. DeVere, with a few DeBukes to check on Chase's family... her birth family" Painful to admit that perhaps, "But things went wrong. The mother is an autumn person with an obession for cleaninless, and DeVere got... I don't want to say caught, but there was cold iron on the premise... he forgot himself. The others had to retreat. I was the one who sent them, that's what Chief's have to do. Then... I sent Earl to help because he was the right one for that rescue. Looked calm making it so, and inside, worried I had risked yet another person. We got DeVere back. He's recovering. And we have Chase, AND a relation of hers who also needed rescuing. That's success sometimes when you're a chief, you resent being told what's right, and you do it anyway. Then if it goes wrong , it's your fault but more importantly it's yours to arrange the fixing of... even if it means more risk for those you care about. It piles on you sometimes. And this is a HAPPY ending , not that it really ended"

Kerri listens closely. "I'm so sorry it was that difficult, for everybody." She doesn't offer platitudes.

"Would have been worse if I hadn't done it, and that's a fact. Someone else left behind we never would have known about if not for doing the right thing" A concession "Right of Rescue is for strangers too"

"It is, indeed. And we are creatures of the Dreaming, so we must play our parts in the stories it has to tell, no matter how painful."

"But you are already tested as Hearth, and you've seen enough of a great Chieftain, and Btrekke IS great even if she would be mortified to hear it, to have both experience and example to draw on so you can be the best Chief YOU are. Maybe you don't need to hear that, but in case you do; you got this"

"I don't disagree. But I was talking about your suffering in having to send your people into danger. I don't envy you that. I saw how hard the Ch-...Brekke worked to avoid sending others into danger when she could face it herself. I know I'll have to do it someday, and yes, I've had great examples to learn from, you included. But I'm definitely not looking forward to it."

"If you looked forward to that part of the job, you wouldn't be fit for it" A nod "And I know you were talking about me, but like mjost trolls I tend to deflect sympathy even if I need it" A weak smile

A low chuckle. "We do seem to follow that theme."

"So..." Kerri puts her mug down. "I don't want to bring more pain, but at the risk of being banned again, I have to ask: What about the others?"

"Buck calls me on my BS now and then, darn the man" Fondly then she says "The others who went with DeVere beat themselves off for leaving him though he ordered it and they couldn't risk further right of ignorance but now that he's back that's fine"

"That's...not what I meant. I mean...the others that you've hidden. That you hadn't spoken about."

"You mean Chase's relation? Or ..."

"The ones in the grove, Clem."

Her tone is gentle but firm.

"Oh" She says "Buck knows.. others still do not. I'm sure you think I'm being a coward and you might be right, but pain like that... it's a private thing and ...s ome would judge"

Her face fell a bit

"No. I don't think you're being a coward. Some things are private, and that's fine...but keeping it a secret is part of why you reacted to Chase the way you did. If Buck knows and supports you, then that's enough."

"He thinks I'm hard headed to the point of doing myself no favors," A hurumph "Good thing I love him Or I might take offense for him being right"

"Oh, I don't know anything about that," she says with deep irony, taking a lonnng sip of coffee.

"Maybe I should have Olgar give Buck a few pointers" a smile sip "Now, let me tell you about how Chase is doing... now that she's home"

And the proud mother shares her joys instead of her burdens

Kerri smiles and listens to the motherly chatter whole-heartedly.

(End Scene)