#rivervale_lodge

"Here's to the best professor at Hogwarts"

And she gets herself a cup of tea

If Dagmar enters the lodge, she smells a candle and tea

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dagmar" Gerd says from a window "Just honoring someone passed. Dame Maggie smith passed you know?"

"...McGonagall?"

"That's how I knew her best, but she was also Doweger Countess Violet Crawley and the mother Superior in Sister act... but yes, for witches, she was McGonagall, the BEST Teacher imo"

"You might think I'm being silly" SHe admits "She lived a long life, I didn't 'know' the actress, so it shouldn't matter. But it does. And... there's a magic in respect for the passing mortal, and respect for the mortal dreams she inspired"

"Yeah, I get it."

"James Earl Jones, too."

"I can light another candle for him if you like?" She offers

"....Could you?"

A pause. "Is coffee okay for the ritual?"

"SURE " She nods and says "And I just put it on recently so it maybe ready." She gets out another candle "If we're very lucky, we'll get to see something others don't... chimera born of their inspiration, but that's not the goal perse, just a perk"

"Symon and I are re-watching the original trilogy."

"Sounds fun. Got a favorite character?" she inquires

"Ohhh..." She considers.

"Don't tell Symon, I kinda like the prequels better, because of Obi-Wan. But in the originals, probably.. um.. Luke or Leia. It's hard to pick. Maybe Han."

"He totally shot first, or so Uncle Vali insists" She smiles, then sobers and lights the second candle "To James Earl Jones, who was the voice of great fathers dark and kingly, whose low roar spread like thunder over the dreamscape. To your bright path you go ,and we thank you for the wonders you have left for us, and our children ,and our children's children to delight in"

"That's nice. Poetic."

"Thanks" she says "You want to say anything on top of that?"

She offers

"Um."

"Just... um."

"It's hard. When people leave. And dying is like leaving."

"It is" She nods, and positions the second candle near the first

They sip tea and coffee respectively... and then, outside the window, they see something forming

just in view, barely... they see two chimera arrive. James Earl Jones wearing a dark cape, but no helmet. And Dame Maggie Smith, with a witch hat.

"Shall we, Maggie?" He offers his hand to her.

"Oh, I dare say our work is done here," Maggie accepts it "So let's."

They walk off together into the far dreaming and... are gone.

"Nice."

"Hey, nice of the Dreaming to share that with us. So many minds on the lives of two who touched so many dreams... you can bet a lot of other chimera inspired by both will be popping up here and there" She ponders "There's a Thane in Earth Runes who is probably grieving. BIG star wars fan."

"Oswald, yeah?"

"Oh you know him. Yup. Only troll with a tauntaun" She says "I should visit there again sometime , good library"

She wrinkles her nose slightly.

"I suppose."

"The librarian gives me the heebie-jeebies. She's perfectly polite, sluagh always are. Well... most of them." Fond.

"But it's like she KNOWS somethin' and she ain't tellin' you."

A smile ,and a sip to hide that smile "No comment there but understood"

"SEE? That kinda smile!"

"Thank you" she takes it as a compliment however it was intended

"Seriously though, Symon is no slouch in knowing things we dont' either. How many times has he come to one of the elders in private, and then later... they seem to be looking for volunteers to solve a problem. I think it's him telling them of the problems in the first place. "

"Yeah, but... but that's different. It's Sy."

"I mean it as a compliment. It makes me wonder how many times he's let us know of those in need, or sounded a warning of some threat? He'd glare at me talking about that, but I think your boyfriend has done a LOT behind the scenes we don't know about"

She purples a bit, but looks very pleased, at 'boyfriend.'

"Sy'd deny it."

"SO much Denial, it's part of his name ... 'the Denier'" A fanged wolf grin "But not my place to ask him. Sluagh need some secrets"

"Yeah!"

"And you know, you perked right up when I said the 'boyfriend' word" A fond look "You two picked out costumes for Halloween stuff?"