#rivervale_lodge

"And when you went too far, I clarified my expectations to you...and then later I vented to my husband."

"You need to be able to vent when she's pushing your buttons, whether she means it or not."

"But I know she doesn't mean... I shouldn't..." She frowns.

"I'm a Knight."

"So was I."

"Hell," Vali pours himself a cup of coffee "Why do you think Brekke , Kerri and I or Frank would be so long in here getting coffee. We were venting, mostly with troll speak. You bitching about her driving you nuts to us? That's normal. "

"You are strong , not Atlas. You cannot bear all challenges and trials alone, nor should you' He mixes in a touch of cream

"....You're not gonna send her anywhere?"

"I'm not going to send her away," Kerri assures her. "And Dagmar, this is part of the secret of being a grown-up..." she leans in to stage whisper "...there's no instruction manual, and we're all faking it, so we commisserate and ask each other for ideas."

"That doesn't make us weak or failures."

"My Chief has suggested a trip to the farm for 'short term'. I almost always heed my Chief, then make incredibly snarky comments under my breath and hope Symon doesn't blackmail me with that knowledge" He lets a bit of a grin show "So a short visit at most it is, and not near Samhain"

"Just so," she says to Vali with an imperious nod.

The smallest of flinches at 'weak or failures.' Oh, Dagmar was thinking exactly that.

Then a fond grin. "I keep forgetting that you're still new to being on this side of the grown-up curtain. It's a lot messier when you see it from this side."

"Bet you thought we knew what we were doing huh?" Vali toasts Dagmar with a mug

"I mean... yeah?"

"Hey, we faked it pretty good!" Kerri grabs a measuring cup to fake-toast Vali.

Then she gets more serious. "Honestly, when it works right, it's about one-third experience, one-third empathy, and one-third lucky guesses."

Vali toasts her back, then says to Dagmar "We ARE good at our areas, that's why we have gotten there, but good is never perfect, and it's a mistake to let perfect be the enemy of good. You do your best, you try to see how others see things too, and you s stand by your convictions while trying to understand theirs. At least that's what I try"

"And then a whole bunch of fixing the messes that you made when you got it wrong."

"As for her feeling welcome, I know for a fact that Ylva loves that you showed her the world of horses. That is a gift that brings her a lot of joy. A part of her will always be grateful to you for that. Just like you will always be grateful to Brekke for her sharing her love of horses and footpaths with you"

She chews on her lower lip, nodding slowly. Still anxious, but not the same level of off-keel boil she had been.

Kerri nods, then considers the slightly-burnt cookies. "May I?"

"Can they be saved?"

"Still better than Tiffany's, god love my wife but she is not cullinary gifted" He mutters

A soft chuff of a laugh.

She takes one and turns it over. "They're only slightly caught, see? Take a knife to scrape away the darkest bits...oh! If you're still not happy with them, I can use them for the footpath around the haunted gingerbread house I'm planning to make."

"...Haunted gingerbread house? Ohhh - you need help with Samhain baking?"

"How about I leave you two to the gingerbread house plans?" Vali offers , knowing that three maybe a crowd for this fun

"I'd appreciate it," she says to Dagmar. "Construction is a multi-person job. And thank you, Mountain."

Soon enough, a blueprint is coming together...and the second batch of cookies are remembered before they can burn, too!

"My pleasure" Vali says to both, and departs to get some Mountain stuff done

(Fade to Haunted Gingerbread houses and cookies)