#rivervale_lodge

Vali enters into the kitchen to steal...err retrieve a snack

He sees both Dagmar and Kerri standing by one of the counters, cookie ingredients arrayed in organized groups. Kerri turns and nods when she hears him come in. "Hello, Mountain."

Whatever he thinks he's going to steal, he might think twice about it, especially if he's considering the cabinet where the hoard of Hallowe'en candy is stored for trick-or-treaters.

"Hello Chief" He eyes the locale where the Reese's cups are awaiting

"Mountain."

She notes his gaze, and simply says, "No."

Dagmar fastidiously adds more flour to the batter.

"Dame" He nods, then sighs "Dagmar do me a favor and distract the Chief while i investigate that cabinet for... Mountain purposes?" A weak smile

Brow.

"You know I'm a Gwydion, right?"

"Dagmar, remind me...did I or did I not have Sylvi come in and put a Fairy Ring cantrip on the the candy supply? I might have forgotten, but if she did it, anybody who touches it will...well, they won't enjoy the consequences."

"Right" He says and grabs an apple instead "So, how goes? Or am I intruding on something private?"

Kerri does not begrudge him the apple.

A glance to Dagmar; it's her call.

She shrugs.

"Things are going fairly well, everything considered. Not perfect, but not dreadful. I've seen worse."

"Yourself?"

"Horses are settling in."

Vali grows more serious noting the ..caution of the answers "Samhain PRep is big for the Mountain and I wanted to talk about how open and inviting we wanted it, or if we were going to let it focus on Goldfinch save perhaps for the solemn parts.." A shrug and a bite in the apple "It can wait though, and glad the horses are settling in. That new Mare is a sweetie" Vali isn't as big a horse man as others but he likes them, "You've got a good eye for horseflesh, Dagmar. Layne and the other kids adore her."

Grunt.

"I'm doing Samhain here. This is my place."

Kerri considers the question seriously. "The Lodge tradition is fairly somber. And, as Dagmar points out, it's an alternative to the Goldfinch-y style festivities. I think, perhaps, the tone might be lightened a bit...but what are your thoughts, Mountain?"

"It'll be your first major Holiday, Chieftain. And Chief - well, her winter side sits hard on her. Could be change is good, in keeping with the season?"

"I didn't want to say it, but yes, that was sort of my thinking."

"When the unseelie is on me, I can be a bit frivolous, but in this case, I think we could split the fun a bit. We do the solemn reading of the lost, respect for the ancestors here, then , if Sylvi is willing, we have some bobbing for apples and games more family friendly... while Goldfinch gets to be a little wild as suits. Wilders who want to hang here with a slower pace can... but the focus will be on the younger ones, while we grumps watch them go nuts. Goldfinch can have a few grumps visit, but they have to recognize it's going to be a big loud party"

"That's my suggestion anyway" He says

She frowns at the batter.

"I'm open to other ideas" He adds

"You're grumps, you're not dead."

"Heh, no we're not." He admits "But I didn't mean to indicate we were. " A smile on his face "I am sure many a 'grump' couple will have some fun as well. I know I intend to. YOu think I shouldn't focus too much on the kiddos here?"

"I like the idea of a...well, let's call it 'family-friendly' Samhain here. Not entirely about the children, but not as provocative as Goldfinch is likely to get." A pause.

"Can't guarantee it'll still be that after the mists descend, but that can certainly be the goal. I think a lot of it will depend on what the balefire wants out of it."

She shrugs. "Kids won't be up all hours, and they're gonna want to ditch the grown-ups and run wild in the dark."

"Very true."

"They're childlings, not, like, children-children."

"True, their souls are still fae and wild" He nods "But maybe a few eras will be a bit jmore placid? I mean... they can run wild, but we don't allow harrassing the stables for example?"

"Oh. That would be an important lesson, if they chose to harass the horses."

"It gets tricky when so many of our childlings are parented by other fae. They can run wild, but we know what kind of wildness they can get up to, and we sometimes watch for it. Childlings of mortal parents, or without parents at all, often get a longer leash."

"I suspect Bucky bites."

A bit of a grin. "I think the horses would teach that lesson themselves, yes."

"I suspect Lily has already started festivities. APparently a LOT Of spiders fell in Ylva's hair, but Swilla scared them off"

A quick glance at Dagmar at the mention of Ylva, then back to Vali. "That was kind of Swilla. Interesting."

"I don't know all the details, Swilla mentioned it to Gerd who mentioned it to me. Gerd was smart enough to praise Swilla, as she was reminded of some other folks who encouraged using Redcap gifts in Positive ways to Dirk back in the day and THAT worked out," He knows both recall 'early dirk' vs 'current dirk'

An approving nod. "Gerd's got good instincts there. Do you think Lily targeted Ylva for a reason? Or was it just an attack of opportunity?"

He ponders "I'm not sure. Lily may not have liked Ylva's attitude. That girl is having trouble fitting in without rubbing folks raw. "

A small scowl. She stirs.

Kerri sighs. "Okay, this is getting odd. It's not that she says things to be mean intentionally. But she's...insensitive, I suppose would be the best way to put it. Or having trouble adapting to new customs."

Snort.

"Very likely, I did some investigating on her. The hold she left is..." A pause at the snort "Wow, she been THAT bad?"

Dagmar's mouth twists into an unhappy knot and she shrugs.