The Pelennor Fields, Osgiliath, The Northern Fiefdoms (Free RP)

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Calithildis Dringolben
Carpe Diem - Last day of Autumn Fayre (last year)

Success! Cali had not entirely expected her maneuver to work, but seeing the man topple over with blood pouring down from his nose, she felt a thrill of satisfaction. But he was not completely off the wagon yet, and she couldn't have the horse take off yet until they were free from their assailant. A quick glance around revealed nothing she might use as a weapon at first. But there was the barrel! Just as she had grabbed hold of the empty barrel, hoping it wouldn't be too heavy for her to shove toward him, the sound of him speaking her own name stopped her short of moving it toward him.

The stranger had called her by her full name, and that alone was alarming. The fact that he knew it at all spoke of something dark. How did he know? She vaguely recalled that he had guessed her to be 'Cali', before. But how did he know her last name? But before she could begin wondering more about that, she focused her attention on an even more worrying matter. He held the dagger to Iole's neck. Cali froze as he threatened to cut her. Unless Cali got into the barrel. She stared, wide-eyed. Iole still lay unconscious, unable to defend herself in any way. Cali couldn't bear to have any harm come to her best friend.. no, her sister. They shared a bond far greater than mere friendship, ever since that time, well.. forever ago, when they all made a pact and became sisters.

The words sunk in swiftly, and she weighed the options as fast as her mind could process them. He was going to kill them, she was sure of that. But, for now, he still wanted them to believe he wouldn't. The fact that he was threatening defenseless Iole while she lay fainted, she quickly decided he was probably not bluffing. And while she didn't like the idea of getting into the barrel, where she would be far more vulnerable and unable to do anything to help Iole... she also quickly recognized that she couldn't actually do anything to help her at this moment. If she tried to rush at him and tackle him, he could still injure, or even kill, Iole before Cali got to him. And then turn the knife on her. He wouldn't be caught by surprise this time. But if she did as he said, there was a chance they might still manage to get out of this. If Iole were harmed in any way... Cali couldn't let that happen. Especially not on account of her own actions.

"Alright, I'm getting in!" She gave in reluctantly as she hastened to demonstrate just how quickly she could climb into the barrel. With any luck, she would be in the barrel before he even started counting. She hated it, and felt as if she had given up too easily.. and let Iole down. And she had let Ryn down, too. If only she'd practiced those moves... maybe she could have had better success. Maybe she could have even disarmed him, and turned the tables... but now, all she had managed to do was put Iole in greater danger than before. "Just don't harm her, please." She added, with a worried glance toward her friend, then narrowed her eyes as she returned her gaze to him. "I hope you realize what a coward you are. Really, threatening to hurt a girl who's not even conscious?" She couldn't help throwing the retort at him, along with the darkest glare she could summon. If looks could kill, his heart should have stopped at that moment, but alas, her words would have to suffice to simply annoy him. And hopefully... that would not make matters worse, she thought a bit belatedly.

---

@Ercassie @Pele Alarion

Ademar Androllius (wearing uniform of Lt. of the Watch)
Pelennor - Southern Gate - Last day of Autumn Fayre (last year)
(With Unalmis and Cadil)

The indignant tone used by the other young man was almost amusing to Mar. Slightly annoying, like a mosquito buzzing around his ear, but also amusing. The fact that he was sticking up for Unalmis made Mar decide he disliked him immediately. Any friend of Unalmis' was automatically an enemy of Ademar's. He found his thoughts briefly straying back to how enjoyable it had been to kill Ryndir. And Reilly, and a few others who had met their end at his hands. Maybe he could manage... but he'd have to figure out some way of luring these two off away from all these pesky people watching. It wouldn't be as easy with these two as it had been with Reilly, who'd foolishly believed Mar was a friend. And Ryn, well, that had been unexpected, but it had worked very well to his favor. If he were to do anything of the sort with these two, he would have to maneuver things to make it possible. With an effort, he hid his amusement as he addressed the comment Cadil had made about him not acting like a lieutenant. That nearly made him laugh aloud, but he controlled himself. If only they knew... "Oh, I don't?" He barely kept from sneering. He managed to control his features along with his tone, so there was only a hint of hidden amusement. But they did make a good point. There were a lot of people in line behind them, and some might be able to hear some of this.

And a second later, all amusement was swiftly vanquished as Unalmis mentioned that name, thus proving that Mar was not the only one who could come up with clever names to cause irritation in the intended target. And proving that he also had not forgotten the day Mar first swore vengeance against that group of friends. Not that they ever heard such a vow, but he had made it, just the same...



Several years ago...

It started almost as a game for Ademar, and as a way to keep them from stealing Aderic's friendship away from him. He had kept it up ever since they first started school a few years ago. Just a few mean words here, a push or shove there. And then he thought up the idea of taking their food. His own parents never bothered to pack anything for him, so if he wanted to bring a lunch to school he had to pack his own. And Mar didn't like most of the stuff he was allowed to pack for lunch, anyway, so he'd found a better option. Today, Trevadir would be the generous donor. Being a couple years younger than Ademar, he was an easier target than the two older boys, Unalmis and Ryndir. And the girls were sticking close to them, so that ruled them out completely. But Trevadir, for reasons unknown to Mar, was sitting all by himself that day, somewhat isolated from the other four. So it wasn't long before Mar was smugly sitting down across the room, with a lunch pail taken from the younger boy. Trev ran to join the others, probably to whine and cry about Mar taking his lunch. Mar didn't care. He was still smirking with self-satisfaction as he pulled out a small parcel wrapped in paper. He guessed it was a sandwich. Trev's grandmother usually went with simple, inexpensive lunches for the brothers, but she also usually packed them together. So Mar got two for one, this way.

The smirk vanished swiftly as he unwrapped his prize and found his hands and the front of his clothes splattered with ink. And not just ink... red ink. They had rigged it so that when he pulled paper off of the parcel, which turned out to be an ink-soaked sponge, the ink would be all over his hands. He had been set up, and the realization was infuriating. How dare they! After spending the rest of the meal break trying in vain to scrub his hands clean, he was still seething as he returned to his seat in the classroom. He was so furious, he was nearly shaking. His hands clenched tight into fists as he flung himself into his seat. He dared not look around at the culprits, knowing he might just lose it. The teacher was watching, and he would be the one to get in trouble if he didn't control his fury. But he would get them later, he vowed inwardly. They would definitely pay for this.

"Aderic Androllius." The teacher was frowning.

So wrapped up in his furious mental ranting, it took the teacher saying his brother's name three times before Mar realizes the teacher had addressed him. Or, well, the name he used while in school. He looked up, making a supreme effort to push down the anger. "Yes, sir?" He managed a very "Ric-like" reply, in his most polite tone.

"I said, 'stand up.' Did you not hear me?"

Mar blinked. "Sorry, sir, I didn't." He held back a sigh, and attempted to stand. But, strangely, found that he could not.

"Well, now you have. So, stand up." The teacher's frown deepened, and he had a stern tone to his voice.

"I.. can't." Mar tried again, confused.

"Aderic," Teacher's tone grew more annoyed as he strolled down the rows of desks toward Mar. "Stand up, and show me your hands." He demanded. "Now."

Hesitating, Mar stared at him in silence for a few seconds, realizing what this was about. They had told. They'd set him up, and then told the teacher to look at his hands as proof. He slowly pulled out his hands from his pockets, his anger increasing once more. But he remained seated.

"Aha. Caught 'red-handed', as it were." He remarked, with a very stern look. "Up, now." He ordered.

Mar then realizing the pun which they had created at his expense. Red handed. Red ink. Very funny. Mar could hardly contain his fury. But he did. He struggled to rise up from his chair, but it was as if he were stuck on the seat. "I can't." He protested, frowning. Confusion battled with the anger for a moment, until the teacher lost patience, took hold of him, and yanked the seemingly stubborn boy up from the chair.

The rip that resulted was alarmingly loud. There was no chance that anyone in the classroom did not hear it. And the uproar that ensued as everyone started laughing was even worse. The teacher had frozen, just as baffled as Mar, while the latter widened his eyes in horror. He knew without having to look that the seat of his trousers had just been ripped right off. And he knew, also without having to look, who was responsible. It was beyond humiliating. He had no words for this!

As the teacher hastily wrapped a jacket around to cover his exposed underpants, demanding to know what happened and who was behind it, a fresh round of snickers went around the room as he said the word 'behind'. Mar finally dared to turn and glare at those he knew were responsible. Unalmis. Ryndir. Trevadir. The two girls who were always in cahoots with those three. He vowed then and there that he would do everything in his power to make sure that someday, he would get revenge on them. This was a personal vendetta, now...



Ademar's sea-green gaze settled on his long-time nemesis as the latter repeated the irksome name 'Rip' in a more drawn out fashion. They'd started calling him that on that dreadful day, making a pun on the name 'Ric', which they didn't know was not even his name. Everyone had called him that for a while, but those five had kept it up long after everyone else stopped. Unalmis seemed to be privately enjoying himself. Meanwhile, Mar privately envisioned stabbing him repeatedly, violently removing his insides... maybe show him his own heart while it was still beating... Maybe he'd cut off his limbs, bit by bit. Fingers.. then hands.. then arms, and so forth. Or he could give him the fate he was supposed to have met years ago, in Pharak's temple. How exhilarating it would be to watch him suffer the same fate as those sailors from Dol Amroth...

With a slow exhale, Mar forced those daydreams to the back of his mind, storing them for another time when he might actually be able to make it happen. For now, he did have to keep up appearances because there was an 'audience' behind them. He had, perhaps, been a bit too bold earlier, in openly taunting the two while there were others close behind them in line. Instead, he rolled his eyes at Unalmis' reply about the fee. "Oh, yes, of course. My apologies, you're a ranger now, aren't you?" He asked in a mock-friendly/apologetic tone, as if he did not know perfectly well this was the case. "In that case," he added, letting his tone darken some as he narrowed his eyes, "You ought to know better than to try and sneak past the gates. Did you really think no one would see you trying to climb that tree to get over the wall, earlier? Even if I hadn't been alerted to the fact there were two miscreants attempting to sneak through the gate in the back of a wagon some while ago, I could hardly help noticing you two trying to scale the wall shortly after having that farmer complain about you hiding in the back of his wagon..."

He scoffed at the absurdity of their failed attempts at getting through the gate without following the proper procedures. "So that begs the question, what sort of shady reasons would you two have for trying to sneak past me? Seems awfully suspicious if you ask me. Therefore," He was rather enjoying the fact that he was absolutely acting within the authority of a lieutenant, now, "I have every reason to insist that you be submitted to a search of your persons as well as any baggage you are carrying." He hardened his tone, making it clear that he was not about to be swayed from this. "Starting with you," He barely managed to avoid sneering as he addressed that part to Unalmis.

[Arnyn]

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
The Pelennor
August
@Rillewen @Romeran

Since neither Trastion nor Romeran had any further questions - or at least none they had dared to voice out loud - Arnyn nodded to herself and turned her mount around toward the North Gate. The Lieutenant smiled and prompted Narsulë to move - to a walk, to a trot, to a canter, to a gallop - to however fast he felt like.

While 'as fast as he felt like' was not always as fast as the stallion could go, Narsulë was having a good day it seemed. The two of them easily gained speed, in no rush, simply enjoying the freedom to go. While the horse still did not choose to go at full speed - probably in part due to the loaded saddle bags - the pace was enjoyably fast for both of them as Arnyn rode him toward the gate. They engaged in this kind of exercise regularly and frequently, since it was very important to Arnyn that both she and Narsulë remained in excellent riding condition. Therefore most of the guards at the different gates of the Rammas were at least familiar with her horse and her face, if they did not already know her by some other way.

Once she arrived at the North Gate, she dismounted and led Narsulë to the watering trough. She'd have some time to kill before Romeran and Trastion's arrival.

[Ercassie]

Carpe Diem – Part 22



Arkadhur / ”Lowendir” and Iole Ishen
At the abandoned Farmhourse, Pelennor Fields. The last day of Autumn (last year)
with Cali Dringolben @Rillewen

“One ..”

Arkadhur made a start at counting even as Cali began to unhappily deliver her surrender. But it was unclear what caused him to stop; the defiant girl’s compliance, or the sudden, subtle fluttering of Iole’s dark eyelashes. Perhaps the cold metal at her skin had served more potent at rousing her than any smelling salts would have managed.

Large blue eyes grew unbelievably wider, prompting the Umbarian to lay his now bloodied hand across the face of his closest prize, in some very pointed direction.

“Shhh ..” he hushed out of the side of his mouth, filling the young woman’s mind with terror of where this blood had come from, even as he kept his own brown eyes steadfastly upon Cali. She was the one unbound, she was the one with the mouth, she was .. proving that leverage always worked. Honestly he had been contemplating leaving one of them here at the farm, he needed only one … and had taken the two only so that no alert would be immediately raised by the other back at the crowded fayre. Noone would come looking for the undertaker’s daughter, he knew. But the Nurse’s girl .. she had appeared out of nowhere and he did not know as much as he would have liked about who Cali might have been with .. before she came unexpectedly upon them. But it looked like the pair worked better if he could continue to play them against each other. So here they all were.

A second, a spare … He resolved himself to another unlooked for gift. And rose slowly, even as Cali determined to shrink him with her words and wrathful glare.


Panicked, Iole tried and failed to sit up. Her captor sighed and raised his foot as though he would bring it down on her face. It was enough for the young woman to flinch and close her eyes, her only defence, against the attack which never came. When she dared to look why he had not struck, the man .. Lowendir .. had already made his way calmly over toward Cali, which he had started as soon as she had climbed actually into the barrel.

“Hands,” he suggested, with the wave of one of his in a whirring motion in the air, as though it would see his barrelled victim raise the both of hers, for his convenience, in a far more timely manner. “You think you’re right. But you have it all wrong,” he mentioned, while waiting. “I never said I would cut .. her .. ” Leaving little time for her to wonder what he meant by that, Arkadhur then suddenly hauled Cali’s ‘bonnet’ down over her face, assured that she would at least raise her hands on instinct to protest. If not terror. He could work with either, and had done before.

[Ercassie]

Carpe Diem – Part 23



Unalmis Raxëlilta with Cadil. The last day of Autumn (last year)
Facing the false ‘Lieutenant’ (Ademar) at the Southern Gate
@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

For a moment there was nothing said in response, and Unalmis was handed just about enough time to consider if he had gone a smidge too far. It was childish perhaps. But a part of him was keen to cling to those old days, as though growing up meant only distancing himself from the memory of Ryndir, and embracing a future where he would never see his friend again. Not that engaging with the likes of Rip was much preferable of course. But with Cadil stood at hand, it raised anew that old sense of comradery and righteousness against the cruel boy that the Guard had once been. It was not as though his enemy was encouraging professionalism here, not by any means. And the Ranger was off duty today besides. The Guard was clearly not. More was the pity.

Nal’s rather ‘playful’ history was no secret amongst the city Guards and several of them sometimes joked along goodnaturedly when he provided an entertaining break from their straight faces during long gate-guarding duty. Most of those had been friendly with the Ranger's estranged uncle back in the days before Domanol had gotten himself suspended from their number. Correction. Back before Rip’s father had gotten Domanol suspended, annnnd Narradir incarcerated … It was more than their jobs were worth to say it of course, but the Ranger knew well enough which of them would have been on his family’s side of the whole sorry mess. Then there were the others, those far less likely to tolerate any teasing, the Lieutenant Brian's of the Guard, who absolutely positively would not budge nor stir from doing their utmost to be annoyed by him. As though it was the young man’s fault that they had chosen such a dull career to waste their days on. This particular one of course did not even fall into that tiresome category. And it was not beyond some reasonable doubt that the chance of facing Rip had been the very cause behind Nal’s thought of scaling the wall or sneaking past the gate unseen in the first place. Just to avoid this exact and almost inevitable scenario.


“If we had wanted to climb over the wall, we would have climbed over the wall,” he shrugged, apparently unconcerned by the latest accusations. And with no bitterness aimed at Cadil for talking him out of it. “I just felt like climbing up the tree because the queue looked so long and dull, and I wanted some fun first. There’s no crime in that.” There was no outright lie in any of it either, so far.

If the Ranger was to come up though with an acceptable explanation for them taking up a free ride on that farmer’s wagon, whilst not getting into trouble, nor making up some story about them inspecting the farmer’s suspicious goods .. which he had previously joked to Cadil at the time that they could use, for an alibi .. . he had not been properly serious at the time, or expecting to even get caught, and he had never had to resort to such measures yet. It felt like a step too far, to throw shade at even a bad tempered farmer they had done no real hurt to, despite the penalty that the truth was threatening. Rip's smug satisfaction at being right would be almost unbearable !

What really was the worst that Rip could do though, his foe was forced to ponder. Half avoiding any chance of meeting Cadil’s face because yes, the wagon and the tree had both been Nal’s ideas, and his friend had sensibly tried to talk him out of them both … Still, if there were any justification for why he had suggested either of such fooleries, then the smirking guard in front of them was that and then some.


Choosing to simply ignore the allegations which he could not deny (and because riding on back of a wagon without permission was not what he would call a crime anyway), Unalmis rolled his eyes and produced his water flask, which he upturned with a dramatic flair to showcase it was empty. “There,” he sighed, in response to the Guard’s insistence on searching them. “If you want to hold it up and shake it, a drip might get in your eye or something. But that’s all you’ll get from me.” he hoped.

Resisting from even a regretful ‘this is exactly why I travel light’ look back at Cadil who had probably, thankfully, consumed already most of what that very prepared young man had brought in his bag, Nal wondered if there was any way at all he might get away without Rip locating the knife he had, still strapped about his ankle out of sight. His father had given him that one and he scarcely went anywhere without it if he was heading out of the city. Sure, it was a hidden weapon, not that he had any thoughts of using it on the Guard, but neither did he trust this particular guard at all. And there was no way in this world he was about to just obediently hand over something that mattered to him so much to somebody that he hated so much. Not declaring it was undeniably a gamble, but then such was life. And if it did happen to get taken from him, well there would surely follow some determined plan to recover it, by any means possible. Because problem solving was something like training if you thought long enough about it.

Unalmis was not afraid of Rip now they were no longer children. The bully no longer had the edge on him in years or experience, which had once been such a major reason the five friends had banded together so determinedly, because there was safety in numbers. Rip could claim to be the victim all he liked, because of their outnumbering him. But if a bully has numerous victims he should not be surprised if they tire of his antics and work together to show they will not stand for all the sneaky pushes, pinching, stealing, stalking, .. and all the rest ..

Yes they were children no more. But Nal did not, not yet, have cause, of course, to suppose that it was Rip who had murdered Ryndir five years previous, much less to suspect all else that the nefarious non-Guard had managed in that time. It would be nice to say that if he had been blessed with such wisdom, the young Ranger would have been less reckless at this point. But there again, history would without doubt suggest it would not have made all that much difference in the end. And if he had known, all he later would come to learn, too late, then he still would likely not have been inclined to comply with any more grace or manners than he did in fact.

[Rillewen]

@Romeran

Recruit Trastion Leithor
Riding adventure - August

As Rome spoke up to describe what sort of issues he had had with the gallop, Trastion tilted his head and listened, curious and thoughtful. "Hmm," He nodded in consideration as he tried to figure out what he could do to assist the other guy. But it had been a couple of years since he had left home, and several years before that since he had needed an instructor to correct him on his riding form. What would his former instructor have said about Rome's issues? Trastion couldn't quite think of what he'd say, so he tossed that idea out and instead decided to just try to show him exactly what he did, himself.

"Alright. So, when your horse is galloping, you need to make sure that you aren't hindering her from being able to gallop, like squeezing her sides and all that. Make sense?" He hoped it did, but went on anyway. "I'm sure she was uncomfortable too, with all that going on, plus.. you're a big guy, to be bouncing around on her back." He lightly teased. "So," He positioned the reins so that Lightning wouldn't be tempted to take off running, "without actually going into a gallop, the first thing you'll need to do when you start to gallop.. is rise up off the saddle. That... well, it gets tiring, so it might take a while to build up the leg muscles so you can maintain it for a while." He explained, but demonstrated the position he was meaning. "You have to be able to balance yourself over the saddle," He went on. "And that's easier said than done," He laughed as he sank back into his seat.

"So, the best way to stay balanced, you let your weight sink into your heels, like this," He showed him how he had his feet in the stirrups, "and you'll have your feet directly below your hips so that your weight is centered and balanced." He paused, glancing over to see if Rome had followed along with what he was explaining. "It um, might feel a little weird, like you're sticking your rear out, but just try not to think about that," He tried not to put too much thought into that part of it. "Anyway, so... when you're first learning this, you might need to hold onto the horse's mane for balance, but what I do," he showed him how he held the reins bridged across the back of the horse's neck. "This is called bridging the reins, in case you've never seen it.." He added, unsure what Rome's experience might be. "It gives the horse a constant, steady contact, and keeps the reins from slipping through my fingers or being pulled through. And, if you're holding your reins like this across the horse's neck, then it helps you to keep balanced while galloping." He explained.

"So.. you bridge your reins by crossing them, then rest them, crossed like that, across the horse’s neck. You then press down on either side of the horse’s neck, without any slack from the reins." He paused to try and think of anything else he might want to share with Rome about galloping. "Oh, when you're working to able to gallop for longer distances, you might want to shorten the stirrups about an inch, so it helps you get the hang of the... crouching type position... whatever the proper name is, I'm not sure." He shrugged. "It feels tiring at first, but once you get the hang of it, it definitely makes galloping a lot more enjoyable." He patted Lightning and smiled. "I've always loved going fast, and I think that's why me and Lightning get along so well." he laughed lightly. "Anyway, is there anything I left out? Or do you have anything you want to ask? I'm not used to teaching stuff..." He admitted. "If not, then, maybe you could try out that position a few times, and then when you feel like it, we could try a slow gallop?"

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Calithildis Dringolben
Carpe Diem - Last day of Autumn Fayre (last year)

Seeing Iole awaken, Cali inwardly cringed in sympathy for her.. it must be a terrible waking for the other girl. The man, their abductor, had a very bloody nose, and he had just smeared some of the blood from his hand onto Iole's face. Eww, gross. Even Cali would feel repulsed by that, and she knew Iole was rather more fainthearted than herself. But Cali had bigger things to worry about at the moment. Like the fact he had said 'one'. Which meant he would cut her friend! She was tempted to leap out of the barrel and surprise him by rushing at him to hopefully bowl him over, but she feared that the action might cause more harm to Iole than what he might do to her. So what could she do?

As it turned out, she didn't even have long to worry about that, for he was heading toward Cali now, instead. Leaving Iole unharmed, though frightened. Cali glanced toward her friend, trying to subtly signal to her to run, to get away while she had this vague, slim chance. While his attention was focused on Cali, and his back to Iole. But somehow, she doubted that Iole would actually take this opportunity. Not entirely out of loyalty to Cali (although she had no doubt about Iole's loyalty to her), but because she couldn't imagine Iole summoning up the nerve to try something so bold. And besides, she probably wouldn't get far before he would catch up to her. Or, he might threaten Cali, in the same way he had just threatened Iole...

Even as she was thinking of that, the man's words jolted Cali's attention back to him. Wait, what? Brown eyes widened, though not quite as much as Iole's blue ones had done, moments ago. If he didn't mean Iole, then that meant... he intended to cut Cali! While she would rather take the injury in place of her friend, that didn't mean she wanted to get injured! "No.." She uttered as she realized what he meant, and would have backed away if she could've. But, like an idiot, she'd jumped into the barrel just as he told her to, and now... now she was trapped. And he actually had the audacity to demand she hold out her hands to let him do it? Like he thought she would just willingly hold out her hands so he could cut her? She may have fallen for his trick before, but she wasn't that stupid! Shaking her head slightly in defiance, she had little time to do much else before he made a sudden, unexpected move.

Before she could even think of trying to evade him, his hand reached swiftly toward her. Cali flinched instinctively away, but he was not reaching for her neck, shoulder, or arm, as she thought. As the bonnet came down over her face, blocking her vision, Cali tried to back away anyway, and fell back, a little clumsily, against the inside of the barrel. At the same time, her hands hastily came up to grab the thing and try to yank it back off. She didn't even know where that bonnet had come from; it certainly wasn't hers, and she hadn't been wearing it when she arrived at the fayre, but now it was covering her face so that she couldn't see. Half-panicked, she tried to pull it back away from her face, and if he grabbed her or anything, she would struggle against him as well as she could, despite being temporarily blind.

Meanwhile, a vague thought popped into her head, recalling that more than once now, he had shushed them, and that he had been speaking quietly as if trying to keep from alerting anyone. So, did that mean there were people near enough to their location that any screams or yelling might draw their attention? If that was the case, then she needed to raise as much ruckus as possible! So, with that thought in mind, the young woman drew in a deep breath and then let out the loudest, shrillest, most bloodcurdling scream that she'd ever loosed upon the world. And if he didn't do anything to stop her, she would immediately (after drawing another breath) begin yelling anything that came to mind, as loud as she could manage despite the bonnet over her face. Things like, 'let go of me', 'someone help us', 'get off', 'don't touch me'... anything that might alert any nearby folks that someone was being attacked and needed help. But whether any help would come, she had no idea... she could only hope.

[Romeran]

Ranger Trainee Romeran
The Pelennor
August
@Arnyn @Rillewen

Romeran listened intently to Trastion's instruction, focusing on every detail and observing his fellow trainee's movements with great attention. He laughed heartily at the joke about his size, a warm smile spreading across his face as he patted Daisy on the neck and apologized to the mare for bouncing around so much during the gallop. The horse shook her head, seemingly understanding his apology, and Romeran couldn't help but feel a deeper connection to the animal.

With his strong legs, Romeran wasn't too concerned about being able to maintain the proper position. He tried to copy Trastion as he got into the crouch on Lightning, watching carefully to ensure he mimicked the stance as accurately as possible. Daisy snorted and stamped one of her feet as she observed her rider's attempts. Romeran furrowed his brow, uncertain if that meant she approved or not, but he decided to press on.

He paid special attention to the description of bridging the reins, practicing the technique a few times to get the hang of holding the reins in a different manner. His hands shook slightly as he tried to adjust to the new way of gripping the reins, his uncertainty evident. "This certainly is different from the way I've been riding, but it makes sense," Romeran remarked, feeling a bit more confident with each attempt.

Determined to master the new position, Romeran practiced getting in and out of the gallop stance multiple times, focusing on bridging the reins and putting his weight over his heels. He took deep breaths, trying to steady himself and visualize success. After a few tries, he urged Daisy into a trot and then a slow gallop, working to steady himself in the position. At first, he fumbled with the reins, the reins jostling about as he attempted to bridge them. Finally, he managed to secure the reins and found himself mostly in the right leg position.

With his weight shifted further back, Romeran felt a little unusual but noticed he wasn't bouncing around as much during the slow gallop. He marveled at the difference in the sensation, the newfound stability giving him a sense of control he hadn't experienced before. Surprisingly, his legs felt less strained, as he no longer needed to constantly adjust his motion to maintain balance. The new position seemed easier on him compared to his previous efforts and the constant jostling he'd experienced earlier.

Romeran brought Daisy back to a walk, his face flushed with a mix of excitement and relief. He turned to Trastion and thanked him for the invaluable instruction, gratitude shining in his eyes. "I mostly had to pick up riding by watching the other field hands and doing the work on the farm," he explained, his voice filled with a hint of nostalgia. "Most of the work I did on horses was technical, like plowing a field or just monitoring the grounds. I haven't had much experience riding."

Pausing for a moment, he looked at Trastion with genuine curiosity and admiration. "Where did you learn to ride so well?" he asked, eager to learn more about his fellow trainee's background and hoping to absorb as much knowledge as he could from him.

[Rillewen]

@Romeran

Recruit Trastion Leithor
Riding adventure - August

Trastion was glad to hear Rome say that it made sense, because he wasn't sure if he'd explained it properly. He smiled, a bit relieved, and then sat back to watch while Rome tried out the gallop with this new information. A grin slowly spread over the recruit's face as he watched the trainee riding more smoothly after the first few moments. Judging by how Arnyn had requested Trastion to help Romeran, he could only guess that his galloping attempts earlier must have been...well, he didn't want to consider it disastrous, but maybe something akin to it. He was glad to see him riding with a bit more confidence now, at least.

As Rome slowed back to a walk and approached, Trastion was grinning. "How's it feel?" He asked, noticing the excited look on his face. "Great, right? I've always loved the speed of galloping." He admitted, with a grin. "The more you practice riding the gallop like that, the more comfortable it'll feel. Natural, even." He shrugged, and nodded slightly as Rome explained that he'd mostly only done farm work. Yeah, he remembered hearing that he'd grown up on a farm. "Do you need any help with the other stuff? Trotting, cantering, all that?" He wondered, hoping he knew how to do those well enough. He'd sort of assumed that he already knew that stuff, but now realized he should have checked, since his riding instructor had always told him that one should master trotting before moving to canter, and to master cantering before galloping...

Romeran's question about how he learned to ride brought Trastion abruptly back to the present. "Hm?" he blinked, and hesitated for a second. "Oh," he offered a little smile. "My..brother. He taught me some of it." He answered, a little awkwardly. "Um, he..spent a lot of time around a stable when he was young. He even had a few lessons, before our father died," He shifted slightly in his saddle and looked down. That was true enough, at least. "Anyway. Um, I also knew a guy at one of the lumber sites, that used to give riding lessons to rich people, and he taught me a lot as well." Also true, mostly. "We should probably catch up to Arnyn, but we can work on anything else you want to work on, along the way.. sound good?"

[Pele Alarion]

with Unalmis Raxëlilta
The last day of Autumn (last year); at the Southern Gate
@Ercassie , @Rillewen

It seemed that they would not get anywhere fast, nor the gathering queue of people behind them, and even so Cadil's resolve to resist any orders from the guard only grew when he observed the exchange between him and Nal. There was obviously a deep-seated dislike... almost like hatred between the two, and the young man had no doubt whatsoever which side he'd take.

He watched Unalmis produce his water flask for inspection, and a grin briefly passed over his face before it regained a deep frown.

"So what if we tried to climb the tree? And the farmer could have received apologies and such should he have confronted us," he chipped in, and kept standing before his bag legs firmly set apart and arms folded over his chest. In his mind he assessed the guard and his possible physical strength and wondered if he would be able to knock him down on his butt with a well-aimed punch should the need call for it. Yet, he was also not sure if he wanted to provide the man with a solid reason to have him arrested.

"What? Are they not feeding you enough that you want to steal traveller's food?" Cadil then spoke loudly enough for people behind them to hear. "You will not get any of mine!" He did still have quite a stash of biscuits, apples, and some cheese. "If you want to search my stuff, I demand the presence of at least two witnesses, and a written and signed account of all my belongings and that none have been removed needlessly!"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August (?)

Having obtained permission to use of the horses from the ranger stables, despite not going out on a ranger mission, Kaylin was in a good mood. This would save her a lot of time on her trip to and from the dairy farm, and had made it possible to honor the agreed upon time, despite Arnyn calling Kaylin in to discuss additional training possibilities for the rangers. After the whole... Relic debacle.

Since she was off duty and not planning on too long of an outing or getting into any dangerous situations, no weapons or armor were visible on her person. She wore comfortable clothes and tall, laced up leather boots - all coloured grey. The black horse and her own red hair made for a stark contrast as they made their way over the road and paths of the Pelennor.

Kaylin intuitively headed for the spot where she usually met up with Eryn whenever she came out here. To her surprise, the scene she found was... well, it was unexpected. For months - ever since she had met Eryn - the girl had claimed that her father was refusing teacher her any ranger skills other than archery and (more recently) some trapping. But now there they were... Kaylin narrowed her eyes, her foreknowledge making her doubt what she thought she was seeing.

As she gave the black horse directions towards Erynneth and Duinion, Kaylin slowed their trot to a walk. "Good day to you both!" she called out to the pair once she came within easy earshot. As she continued her approach, she added: "You did not forget I was visiting, right?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August (sometime after the Relic debacle)

The faint sound of hoofbeats announced the approaching visitor before she came into view, and soon after, she herself appeared. Duinion glanced up from supervising his daughter while she tested out the new wooden daggers he had given her this morning; a surprise for her, as well as evidence of a decision on his part. Her obvious excitement and joy at receiving them was worth the time and effort he had spent making them, with minor help(and advice) from his more woodworking-skilled friend. He had toyed with the thought of waiting for a time when there was someone around that she could practice with, but when it came down to it, when he finished the daggers, he couldn't wait to give them to her. So he hadn't. And naturally, she couldn't wait to start learning how to use them, so here they were. He was sitting nearby, giving her verbal instructions, while she was attacking the straw orc dummy that she usually fired arrows into.

As it worked out, Eryn had declared she had a surprise for him at the same moment he had said the exact same thing. She now had her surprise, but had yet to reveal what hers was. She was waiting for Kaylin's arrival, but in the meanwhile she was eager to learn whatever she could get him to teach her. As if he might change his mind tomorrow, and take them back. The moment she heard the horse coming, however, she grinned and looked toward the approaching rider.

Duinion, meanwhile, gave her a slightly suspicious glance. "Would this be anything to do with that surprise you mentioned?" He wondered, raising an eyebrow.

Eryn laughed and waved to Kaylin as she was coming nearer. "It is." She answered him with a smile. "Hello Kaylin!" She grinned. "Nope, didn't forget. I've got everything ready," She sent a smile over at her dad who was sitting on a makeshift bench she had fashioned just for him, then turned back to Kaylin eagerly. "Look what my dad made for me!" She resisted the urge to run over to Kaylin, and instead walked, so not to startle the horse. She held up the wooden daggers with a grin so that Kaylin could take a look at them. "He's changed his mind about that, apparently.. not sure what did it, but I'm not arguing," She added in a hushed, conspiratorial tone.

"Good day, Hyandaner." Duinion replied with a nod, still hiding suspicion about what Eryn had come up with as a surprise. "Should I be worried?" He added teasingly. "What is this surprise you've planned? What's going on?"

"Well," Eryn smiled and shrugged. "I know how bored you've been waiting on your foot to heal, not being able to go do anything, stuck here all the time... But since you're allowed to put some weight on it now, I figured you might like a chance to go out and do something away from home, and we can consider it sort of like.. what's it called? Physical therapy? To help you get back to doing things like you used to. Gradually, of course." She added the last bit hastily, remembering how he had pushed himself too much on the first. "Anyway, so I mentioned something about that to Kaylin, and also.. well, you remember the other day you were saying how you don't really know very many of the other rangers, and Kaylin's one of them, even though you both were in that one mission, you said you hardly talked to her the whole time, so.."

"Killing two birds with one stone, hm?" He grinned slightly. "Or as I prefer to say, 'two orcs with one arrow'."

Eryn blinked at the choice of words there, slightly thinking of the last 'outing' she'd had with Kaylin, but he couldn't know about that. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, pretty much." They'd agreed this time they would stay within the Pelennor, where it should definitely be safe. "We figured going for a ride would give you a chance to get away from here for a while, and shouldn't be too strenuous on your ankle."

"That's a nice idea," Duinion agreed, though inwardly, he was slightly skeptical about the riding thing. "If.. I can get on a horse, that would be good." He had considered trying that out in the near future, but hadn't gotten the nerve to make the attempt just yet, partly because he'd rather have someone around just in case things went awry. And he didn't like to bother Aggie and Cailon with anything like that when they had the business to worry about, and the two kids now. "So, what's the plan? Are there any other conspirators involved?" He tilted his head curiously, glancing from one redhead to the other.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

Eryn saying she got everything ready and then looking to Duinion, was amusing to Kaylin. As if the Ranger were a part of the 'supplies' they'd need for whatever activity might follow. The redhead chuckled quietly in response. Upon Eryn's approach, Kaylin regarded the wooden daggers with mild curiosity and then glanced at Duinion. He had changed his mind? After such a long time of hard no's? She considered that for a moment. Then a smile spread across her face. "You must be so excited!" she told Eryn, with no small amount of enthusiasm. "Finally wore him down, did you?" Unapologetically, she shot a smile at Duinion.

"Good day, Tirdinen," Kaylin replied to the man's greeting, laying on the serious tone a bit thickly, as if to wordlessly convey she wasn't a fan of formal ranks when off duty. Not unless it was clearly meant in good humour or something. But perhaps that was exactly what he'd meant, she then thought, as he added a teasing question. Since it mostly seemed to be aimed at his daughter, Kaylin only replied with a quiet smile and a look at Eryn.

"Well, we couldn't really talk much," Kaylin added after Eryn's reply, wanting to nuance - even though both Duinion and Eryn would already know as much - that it hadn't been a deliberate choice. Even though there was no need to state it, Kaylin still felt like she had to. A byproduct of her outgoing nature, to be sure.

Duinion's take on the saying made her grin re-appear as she easily dismounted from the mare. "Ooooh, I like that!" she exclaimed with clear approval, grinning at Duinion. "Killing two orcs with one arrow! Can I adopt it?"

She didn't miss the ranger's hesitation, however, and slanted her head at his following questions, including if any other conspirators were involved. "He asks! As if Eryn and I are not enough!" She put an arm around Erynneth and pulled the girl's side against hers amicably. "I'm sure we can find a way to get you on a horse," Kaylin stated with her usual confidence. "We've faced more difficult challenges, right?" Her tone was very 'the glass is half-full'.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August (sometime after the Relic debacle)

"Very!" Eryn agreed, when Kaylin said she must be excited. "I could hardly believe it, either," She admitted in a lowered tone, followed by a little laugh. "Now maybe you can help me sometime?" She mentioned, half hopeful, half uncertain, as she glanced toward Duinion, as if to ask if that would be alright.

Duinion observed the two curiously, and considered the thought before nodding slightly. "It might help her, if nothing else just to have someone around to actually practice with." he tried not to sound too frustrated that he could not very easily do that. "Unalmis comes around often, and he would probably be happy to help her, but it might be helpful to her to have someone else as well, to practice with. When you aren't busy, that is." He added, not wanting to sound as if he was trying to make any sort of request of the hyandaner. Which, she might not have liked being called, he thought, after how she had replied back to him. But as had been recently mentioned, he hardly knew her at all. So, he stored that away for future reference.

"That'd be great!" Eryn grinned and slid the wooden daggers into her belt, one on each side, like her dad wore his, and laughed as Kaylin put an arm around her. "We red haired ladies are quite a force to reckon with, you must admit." She pointed out with a grin.

Duinion laughed at that. "I don't doubt that at all. I've seen what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it.." He told his daughter with a knowing smile, although he didn't give much thought toward the 'more difficult challenges' thing that Kaylin said. "And, at least a little of what you can do." He added to Kaylin. Of course, there hadn't been a lot of chance to see what she could do, during that mission. The action had lasted a very short time, and before that.. long dull traveling, and after that, more long dull traveling. "And yes, I am aware that you weren't being a snob, you were merely playing a part of one." He added, with a hint of teasing, and hoped she picked up on that.

The next words out of the redhead's mouth brought a laugh from him. Can she adopt the saying... as if it's some lost puppy that needs a home. "Of course," he grinned, greatly amused by the way she had posed that question. "Use it as much as you like," he grinned. "I actually learned that from my first ranger captain, back when I first joined up." He mentioned with a lingering smile. "Captain Rosdolad used to say it that way, and I thought it was great, and I've used that version of the saying, ever since."

Eryn was smiling, and decided that she might as well do something useful while they talked. The ice was broken, at least. So that was a start. "I'll go get the horses, I'll be right back." She announced before setting off toward the barn where she had both horses prepped for the day's ride. Smoke, the old grey horse her dad would be riding, had a saddle and bridle already on, and Buttercup had her bridle. Both had been groomed and all the necessary things done. She had packed a snack for them in case they were gone long enough to get hungry.

Watching Eryn take off enthusiastically, Duinion smiled, glad to see her so happy. Once she had gone out of earshot, he offered a small explanation, having partially overheard Eryn's hushed words despite her attempt to be secretive. "After hearing about that sorceress threat and all of that, I.. um, got to thinking, with her being up in the sixth so often, so close to that.." He shrugged and cleared his throat. "Well, really, it just made me realize she could still end up in danger even there, whether she knows how to use weapons or not. So, knowing how to use a weapon.. you never know. It might make the difference..." He explained. "Even though that threat is gone... others could arise." He had caught the way she'd glanced at him after Eryn proudly showed her the practice weapons, and of course the 'finally wore him down' comment had been rather obvious.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

Upon Eryn's question, Kaylin glanced at Duinion at the exact same time Eryn did. "I am sure Unalmis would do an excellent job, since knives are his secondaries as well," she complimented the young ranger who was not present. Since Unalmis came around often, she wasn't sure whether her own skills would add all that much usefulness. Perhaps seeing a different approach... Though when it came to regular fighting, she did not know whether Unalmis' techniques would differ much from hers. Although Thûllir would claim that their more covert skills had bled into their regular fighting style, Kaylin wasn't so sure of that in her case. Perhaps subtly so. Subconsciously. Kaylin shrugged lightly before answering verbally. "If you both think it's a good idea, we can do that."

Eryn's excitement was undeniable, and that got Kaylin a bit more enthused about the idea as well. When Duinon said he'd 'at least seen a little' of what she could do, and that he was aware she had only been playing the snob during that merchant escort, Kaylin's eyes glinted with amusement. And when he laughed and agreed she could use the saying, she grinned broadly. "Thanks. Sounds like this Rosdolad fellow might have started a whole thing!"

Eryn excused herself to get the horses, and Kaylin looked after her until Duinion drew her attention. He seemed to want to offer an explanation of why he had finally relented. Kaylin nodded, serious but with a very soft smile around her eyes and lips. "I think that is a wise decision," she agreed. Looking at his expression, she ventured further. "Eryn asked me to show her some stuff before, but since she'd already mentioned you did not want her learning these things yet..." She shrugged. "It was difficult to deny a friend. She was disappointed. But she understood why I said no, I think." It was time for her to clear her throat then, considering she had taken Eryn out to Ithilien, which had turned out to be much more dangerous than Kaylin had anticipated. It seemed like Duinion was still in the dark about that. Was Eryn going to keep that from him forever? Kaylin had very mixed feelings about her friend's choice in this regard.

Thinking again on helping Eryn, Kaylin scratched her temple. "So, um. When you said it might help Eryn to practice with me," the redhead spoke in a slower cadence than she usually did, "What exactly did you have in mind?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Duinion Raedor
August (sometime after the Relic debacle)

Duinion looked a little surprised to hear Kaylin's admission about having turned down Eryn's request to teach her this. That was the first he had heard about that, and to hear that the hyandaner had said no, he was somewhat relieved to know that she hadn't decided to go behind his back and do that. That was good to know about her, at least, although he couldn't help wondering just how many folks Eryn had been asking to teach her stuff. He suspected that might be how she came to borrow that book about trapping from Addhor, and held back a sigh. "I didn't know about that..." He replied, thoughtful. "I appreciate that you gave her the answer you did." He paused, thinking a little about that, but decided not to dwell on the matter. As he was trying to think of what else to say instead, he was spared from that when Kaylin asked a question.

He took a moment to consider how to say what he was thinking, and have it be understood. "A couple of reasons." He began, slightly hesitant. "For one, Eryn.. doesn't have a lot of friends," he frowned slightly. "I'm glad that she has a few, like you, and Unalmis. And he's over here quite often, so she sees him regularly. But I'm not sure how often she sees you or how much time you spend together, but she does really like you. So that is one thing that I thought of. I think she would enjoy spending time with a friend she sees less often. It might be good for her." He shrugged slightly, unsure if it was necessary to mention that he thought it good for her to have a female friend to spend time, too.

"But also," he went on, "well, I think it's good to have some variety in sparring partners, when learning to use a weapon such as this. Because if she only ever gets to practice against Unalmis, she may get too used to his height, his speed, his level of aggression.. and so forth. But then suppose she has to fight someone of different heights, faster or slower than herself.. and that throws off timing, aim.. does that make sense?" he wondered, unsure if this was anything that Kaylin had ever thought about. "So, anyway, I really don't know much at all about what your skills entail, nor what you would feel comfortable teaching to a teenage girl, but even just having someone different to practice with once in a while, would be nice for Eryn, I think." He explained.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

"You don't mess with a comrade-in-arms' wishes, if you can help it," was all she said when Duinion paused and seemed to think about the answer she'd given Eryn.

Based on his reply, he was thinking more along the lines of experience with different physical attributes of sparring partners rather than different... techniques. But for her, that was all linked. "It does make sense," she confirmed reassuringly, "very much so, even. But there's different physical attributes and there's different styles, and there's different techniques," she said quickly, wanting to talk about this before Eryn returned. She didn't really feel comfortable sharing everything about her skills with Duinion, since this was really the first time they were having something that could pass for a proper conversation, but Kaylin felt like it was more important to know what Duinion would be comfortable with than for her to keep her secrets.

"I'm just not sure what techniques you are open to have her learn," Kaylin said, slowly, looking the Tirdinen in the eyes as she spoke to give her words a bit more weight. "But since you just literally called her a teenage girl - I am assuming you don't mean me to teach her anything too... obscure." Not looking down, but keeping her eyes at Duinion, Kaylin flicked her wrist a certain way and produced a small, sharp blade, which she had dance between her fingers.

[Romeran]

Ranger Trainee Romeran
The Pelennor
August
@Arnyn @Rillewen

Romeran's face lit up with appreciation as he thanked Trastion. "I feel so much more confident now," he admitted, relieved by the noticeable improvement in his riding. The newfound stability gave him a sense of assurance that he hadn't experienced before. In response to Trastion's inquiry about whether he needed help with trotting or cantering, Romeran shook his head gently. "I don't really need help with those, thankfully," he explained, a hint of relief in his voice. "I've had enough experience with cantering and trotting on the farm. It was just the galloping that I struggled with."

Romeran's curiosity was piqued by Trastion's explanation of how he learned to ride. The trainee's story seemed puzzling; a few lessons from his brother and a man at a lumber site didn't seem like enough to produce such a skilled rider. Romeran raised an eyebrow at Trastion's response but decided not to press the matter further. He couldn't help but wonder if Trastion was concealing something, though the reason for doing so remained a mystery.

Agreeing to return to Arnyn, Romeran nodded and added, "While we're heading back, maybe you could give me some advice on how to 'properly' ride a horse? You know, the right posture, the correct way to hold the reins, things like that." He hoped that by asking for more guidance, he could not only improve his own skills but also gauge how much Trastion had truly learned. Romeran's intuition told him that there was more to Trastion's story, and he was eager to uncover the truth. Regardless, he was determined to make the most of this opportunity, both to enhance his own riding abilities and to learn more about the enigmatic Trastion. Despite the lingering questions in his mind, Romeran focused on the task at hand, committed to becoming a better rider and learning more about Trastion.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August (sometime after the Relic debacle)

He was glad to hear that his thoughts on the matter made sense to her, and in fact she added more along the same lines. Duinion nodded as she mentioned different styles and all that. Yes, that was a factor he had considered.. that she might have some insights or techniques to offer which he could not, but he also had not wanted to assume she would be willing to share such knowledge with a young person who was not a ranger recruit. 'Not yet', Eryn would say, he couldn't help thinking, with a mixture of amusement and reluctance.

He met Kaylin's gaze as she went on to explain more about what was going on in her head, and the comment about him calling Eryn a teenage girl. He wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that comment, if she thought he shouldn't think of her that way or not, but.. she did happen to be exactly that. Though, he often tended to forget how grown up she had become, since he tended to always think of Eryn as his little girl.

It would have been easy to miss the subtle maneuver which produced a small blade, but he caught the glint of light on the metal as it twirled between her fingers, and didn't have to look at it to guess that it was a knife. "Well, keep in mind that this is not like training a ranger recruit," he pointed out, with slight hesitancy. "My intention is to teach her how to defend herself, if necessary. I would prefer she did not get any ideas about going off on a whim, thinking she could hunt down orcs or chase off bandits, or confront dangerous criminals.. or any of the things we might do on a mission." Duinion paused, and sighed. "I realize she is old enough she could go and enlist right now if she wanted to rebel against me..." He mentioned quietly. "I just..." He shrugged slightly. "I want to keep her out of dangerous situations as long as possible, but also, ensure that she can defend herself, if she must." He paused, and tried to clarify, "It's one thing to end up in a dangerous situation where you least expect it.. and quite another to go into a situation, expecting to encounter danger. Perhaps I'm too overprotective, but.. Eryn is very important to me." He added, unsure if Kaylin would get that, but hoped she might. He figured it was harder for a person who wasn't a parent, to completely understand this thought, but maybe she'd still get it. Beyond her, he could see Eryn returning, leading both horses. "We could discuss more about it later, if you like." He suggested.

After a moment, in which time Kaylin would have a chance to reply to what he'd said, Eryn walked up leading the horses, smiling. She'd decided to bring her bow along, just because she figured it wouldn't hurt to bring it along, as well as the one her dad was using for now. "I think I've got everything," She called out as she approached. "I don't think we'll need them, but I grabbed our bows, just in case." She said to Duinion. "You never know," She shrugged. "So, are we ready?"

Duinion smiled faintly, a little amused that she sounded so much like himself, saying that about the bows. "I suppose so." He stood up with a little aid from the crutch, and regarded the horse. He knew Smoke was gentle enough and wasn't likely to cause trouble, but getting on was still a concern.

[Rillewen]

@Romeran

Recruit Trastion Leithor
Riding adventure - August

Trastion smiled in reply to Rome's words. "I'm glad I could help." he answered, truly glad he'd been able to help. Having not really been around many farms, he had very little idea what sort of things were common around them, but it seemed there was not much galloping involved. Of course, there wasn't much need for it in lumber jobs, either, unless someone needed to carry messages back and forth swiftly. But horses were definitely used frequently in the work of transporting logs, so he didn't worry too much about that part of his story being questioned, at least. He hoped nothing else about it would raise questions.

As they set off toward catching up with Arnyn, Rome's request was a little unexpected. "Properly?" He repeated, taking a moment to think what he might mean. Rome clarified it without being asked, however, adding in mention of posture, holding reins, etc. Trastion hesitated for a second, mind racing. Had he been too obvious with his riding ability? He patted Lightning's neck lightly, to cover up his brief pause while thinking. "Well, I can tell you what I know," He answered after a moment, with a small smile toward the other trainee. "It's not some great secret, really. Just.. you know, sit up straight, keep your back straight. Not slouching, you know? And keep your weight balanced on your seat bones, so you're not leaning too far forward, or back. Just.. upright. And your feet resting in the stirrups with the heel slightly lower than the toe.. but not like, pushing down, just.. comfortably resting that way." He tried to think if he'd left anything out. "You wanna have your chest lifted, like, open?" He wasn't sure if that made sense.

"You can practice finding the right posture," he added, remembering some exercises he'd had to do as a beginner. "I'd say Daisy is probably a good horse to use, she seems fairly quiet and calm." He took a thoughtful look at the horse as he said this. "So, you should start out without moving, and then progress to a walk as you find the right posture. So, one of the first things I can think of will help you recognize the “feel” of having the right vertical alignment. Make sure you engage your core muscles to give you stability, then you’ll move between three positions – center, forward and back."

He demonstrated what he meant before he continued, "So, you start from the center. You can do this with your feet in or out of the stirrups, whichever you prefer." He waited for Rome to do this. "So, while sitting squarely over both seat bones, you have your legs hanging down the horse's sides, and then try to pretend you have a straight line running from your ear through the shoulder, hips, and ankles. Now, slowly, without moving or gripping with your legs, move your chest slightly towards your horse’s neck by closing your hip angle. Now, return to center, and do the same thing going backward." He returned to center, on his horse, and watched Rome. "In each position, notice what happens in your body. Where are you gripping and tensing? That should tell you what's right and what isn't." When Rome had found the center and looked properly in line, he spoke up, "Right there, that looks like how you should be. So try to remember what that feels like so you can find that position again easily, in the future." He smiled. "And once you get the feel for it, it'll just come naturally."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

"One might argue this is not a typical ranger skill," Kaylin indicated quietly when Duinion said not to forget Eryn was not a ranger recruit. "And whatever way we teach her to defend herself, she would be able to twist it into something dangerous - if she has a mind." She noted Duinion looked behind her, and didn't need to look herself to realize Eryn must be returning. "Alright," she agreed quietly. "Later, then."

As she turned, the knife from her fingers disappeared. Kaylin grinned at Eryn when her friend said she thought she had everything. She raised an eyebrow at Duinion when Eryn mentioned grabbing their bows because 'you never knew'. The hyandaner soon returned her attention to Eryn, however. "Now you'll make me feel bad for not bringing my sword or something," she jested. Kaylin did not breathe a word about the small blades she had hidden on her person, even though by now Duinion knew she had at least one of those.

Spotting Duinion's smile, which was too faint to her liking, and his expression, which looked too unsure, Kaylin glanced between the ranger and his daughter. One of her best smiles mastered her face then, and she kicked her energy level up a notch. "Alright, then!" she said, clapping her hands together once. "Let's do this! Your right foot is the problem, right?" Kaylin gently let go of her own mare's reins and approached smoke to stand by the horse's left front leg. "Best get on with your left in the stirrup," she claimed with a confidence that was hard to deny. "Give it a whirl! Eryn can take your crutch when you're ready to let go of that, I'm sure."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August (sometime after the Relic debacle)

"Oh, I know all about that," Duinion remarked softly, in answer to Kaylin saying that Eryn would probably find a way to twist things. If only she knew the sort of shenanigans he and Dom used to get up to, he thought with amusement. His hazel eyes showed a brief glimmer of laughter as he wondered what sort of stories he and Kaylin could swap if they had a chance. Maybe without Eryn around though, lest she get ideas, he decided.

Eryn let Buttercup graze in the grass for a bit while she led Smoke closer to her dad. "Of course," She answered to Kaylin's guess that she would take the crutch. "I even put a holder thingy on Smoke's saddle, see?" She pointed to a holster intended for an ax, and grinned. "I'll hold onto Smoke so he won't move while you're getting on him."

Now that it had come to the part of actually getting on the horse, Duinion was nervous. And, thinking back, he remembered going through a similar situation with Addhor, not all that long ago actually. Had Addhor been this nervous, he wondered? He took a deep breath, trying very hard not to look as nervous as he felt. But, inwardly, his stomach was getting all twisted up, and he was already imagining how much it might hurt his ankle if he fell. Not to mention embarrassing and awkward, with not just Eryn, but Kaylin too, to witness it. No, don't think like that, he reminded himself. He wasn't going to fall, he tried to assure himself. Strange though, how getting older tended to make one be more cautious about doing things they wouldn't think twice about, as a child. He didn't think of himself as old, but he wasn't a kid anymore, either. Still, if he could prove, to himself as much as anyone else, that he could ride and not cause harm to his foot, then he would be able to do more things. He wouldn't be limited to riding in a wagon, and that would help things tremendously.

The biggest problem, of course, was that no matter which way he mounted, at some point, he would have to have all of his weight on the injured foot, if only for a moment. But, he figured, like Kaylin said, putting the left foot in the stirrup, he could lean on the crutch while on the ground, and then once he transferred his weight to the left, he wouldn't need the crutch. "Right," He nodded, once he had a plan in mind. He'd been getting plenty of practice using the crutches, and using just one, so it was easy enough to shift his weight to the right. Balancing on the injured foot while putting the other up into the stirrup was a bit more challenging, however, and he instinctively wanted to move as swiftly as possible. Yet, the other part of his brain told him swift wasn't always the best way, since if he tried to go too fast, he might miss and fall. So, it was tricky, but thankfully, he got his foot in the stirrup without any trouble, and shifted his weight back to that foot, while reaching up to grab and pull himself up.

As much as she wanted to help her dad, Eryn refrained from moving closer to help him. Though she stood by, waiting to take the crutch when he had no more need of it, she bit her lip anxiously, thinking back to when he'd helped Addhor get used to riding again, before that trip to Rohan. Men and their pride, she thought with a mental eyeroll. Still, maybe it was the sort of thing he would want to do on his own, without help. Unless he obviously needed it, she decided to let him. As soon as he started to mount, Eryn was watching closely, partly as an apprentice healer, but partly as a worried daughter. Once she saw him let go of the crutch, she was holding her breath until he had safely settled into the saddle. She let out a silent sigh of relief, and smiled as she moved to pick up the crutch and put it in its 'holster'. "Well," She looked up at him. "How's your ankle?"

Feeling very pleased with his success, Duinion couldn't help a little grin, relieved that nothing terrible had happened. "I think it's alright. It hurt just a little when I had to put all my weight on it, but it's fine." He assured her, smiling. "No need to worry. I'll tell you if it starts hurting too much, I promise." He tried not to worry in advance about when the time would eventually come when he'd have to reverse that process, of course. "

"Great!" Eryn grinned happily. "Alright, we're ready then, right?" After a quick check that they were ready to mount up, she retrieved her horse and pulled herself up onto her back, by grabbing her mane. "So, any thoughts on where we should go, Kaylin? Or are we just venturing off to explore a random direction?" She laughed, not minding either way.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

Kaylin was glad to see Duinion's success, but Eryn's hovering made the hyandaner shake her head a little. At least the older ranger was so pleased with himself, it didn't seem to bother him. Yet Kaylin would not be Kaylin, if something didn't slip out. "Geez, Eryn." An eyeroll. "All this fussing over the man climbing a horse. So overly worried that he might just get hurt." She raised an empathic eyebrow to tease her friend. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I see!"

Seeing Eryn mount up, Kaylin watched intently. "No saddle," she noted, as if she were talking about Eryn trying out some new hairstyle she hadn't seen on her before. "That's pretty sweet." With a grin, she mounted the black mare she'd loaned from the stables. When Eryn asked for her thoughts on where to go, Kaylin made a face. "You don't plan everything out, Erynneth Raedor!" she chided her friend good-naturedly. "It kills spontaneity and unexpected joys!"

Then she blinked. "Also, I kind of hoped you might have an idea."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

"Hey, I wasn't hovering!" Eryn protested with a laugh. "I was being very careful NOT to hover too much." She insisted, glancing over at her dad a little uncertainly, wondering if he thought she had been hovering, too. She hadn't meant to be, and had been carefully keeping over by Smoke's head, so not to be all 'fussing' over him as he tried to get on.

Duinion glanced from one to the other in amusement. "If I thought she had been," He shrugged, "I probably would have told her to go tend to her own horse." He mentioned, then cast a faintly teasing glance toward Eryn, figuring she'd know he wasn't entirely serious. "I think it's the healer side of her, already showing through." He added with a little grin.

"See?" Eryn grinned at Kaylin, then nodded as her friend commented on her lack of saddle. "I don't have one. Or need one, really." She shrugged and smiled. Her bow, being a smaller version than her dad's, was easily carried on her back, along with her quiver, and she had no other things to carry. "And I was only asking!" She added, and then poked her tongue out, feeling at ease enough with Kaylin to do something some may call childish. "Let's pick a direction then, and ride! What direction, Dad?"

Duinion grinned at the interactions between the two redheads. "Kaylin is the guest here. You pick," He offered that 'honor' to her, partly curious what she might choose. Since he knew the area in all directions quite well, it wouldn't be as 'spontaneous' and all that, for him to pick a direction.

[Rillewen]

(private)

Cali Dringolben
Cemetery of the Pelennor
(A few days after the fire/Relic's death)

Soft, golden light from the afternoon sun glowed warmly at her back, gradually beginning to fade as Cali stood still, staring at the row of headstones in silence. It was the first time she had dared come to the cemetery since that awful day, nearly six years ago. Ryn’s funeral. She’d been too numb and dazed to really be aware of her surroundings, that day. She couldn’t remember if it had been a sunny day, rainy, or foggy, hot or cold. It should have been raining and dreary, she thought, but the weather didn’t always cooperate with how one thinks it should do. And then she couldn’t even bring herself to return to Minas Tirith for her father’s funeral, much as she regretted not being there. She drew a deep breath, tightened her grip on the metal stems in her hand, and limped forward slowly.

First, her father’s grave. Once, she’d had a very close relationship with him. Honestly, she’d always been a "daddy’s girl", always hanging around the forge, asking questions, begging him to let her help, watching everything he did. It wasn’t until she got older, and he started drinking, that their relationship had wavered, and the aftermath of their shared grief had driven father and daughter apart. That, and his stubborn attitude about women working in a forge. They’d argued plenty about that, but in the end, even knowing that he was partly responsible for Ryn’s death, she’d done everything in her power to help her father, to cover for his errors, and to keep him from professional ruin. As well as preventing him from finding out what he had done, and what she was doing to help... she had feared that the guilt and shame might have been too much for him.

Silently, Cali leaned down, balanced on her good leg as she gently pushed the stem of a delicate-looking metal rose into the ground at the base of the headstone. While it may look delicate, it would be much tougher than it looked. Just like Cali. A lump stuck in her throat, making words impossible for a moment, but she silently brushed a hand over the name on the headstone, tears brimming in her eyes. After a hard swallow, she managed to choke out a few words. “I love you, Daddy.” The tears spilled over at that point, and she tried in vain to wipe them away, sniffling, and a few shaky breaths turned into sobs that she couldn’t hold in any longer. Still clutching the remaining three roses in one hand, she rested them both on the top of the stone, her head bowed as she finally allowed herself a few moments to cry.

It was a moment before she recovered enough of her composure to make another attempt at wiping her eyes. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, Cali sniffled, and then moved to the next grave. Another forged rose went into the ground there, and one in the next as well. Dawion and Berthion, respectively. A sad smile flickered onto her face as she sniffled quietly. “I miss you both, so much.” She whispered, closing her eyes for a moment to pull up happy memories of her two older brothers. Berthion used to joke around and tease and pull silly pranks. He’d had lots of friends, she recalled, and had been well-liked by most people, and despite how much he liked to tease and aggravate his younger siblings, he also wouldn’t hesitate to do anything for them. She remembered him coming to her and Iole’s rescue, one time when they were young, and Rip was picking on them. They used to go to Berthion for advice on pranks, and ideas on how to retaliate against the bully, she remembered with a little smile.

And Dawion, the oldest, used to dance her and Iole around on his shoes, spinning and twirling the laughing little girls around and around. He would humor them by sitting through tea parties, unless he had work to do, and though he teased a little, he'd always had time for his baby sister. She remembered how excited he’d been when he and Ivornith had their son, and the sorrow that he never even got a chance to know about the second baby that came later. “You’d be so delighted with your little girl, Dawion,” Cali muttered, saddened that he never had that chance to know her. “And so proud of your son,” She added with a little smile. Iuldir had grown up so much, and she knew her brother would have been bursting with pride to see how he tried so hard to take care of his mom and sister.

Cali lingered for an extra moment, reluctant to move on to the fourth and last grave in the row, as if trying to prepare herself for the emotion she was sure would overwhelm her. At last, though, she turned and took those few limping steps over to that last, and hardest grave to visit. She hesitated for a moment before carefully lowering herself to sit on the ground, her injured leg stretched out in a way that was as comfortable as she could manage. Silently, she pushed the stem of the final rose into the ground, taking a little extra care to ensure it wouldn’t fall over. She shifted her position a little so she could rest her back against the edge of the stone, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back against it. As if, if she kept them closed and didn’t see the tombstone, it might be easier to pretend that it wasn’t there, and that she was talking to him, rather than his grave. “I hope you’ve been watching us from.. wherever you are.” Cali murmured softly, somewhat surprised at how steady her voice was. So far, anyway.

She took a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly. “Trev is home, finally.” She smiled. “That’s some of the best news we’ve had in a while. He’s home, and I’m home, and Iole’s home..” She trailed off, since she wanted to say “we just need you to come home, now” and knew that would be impossible. Opening her eyes, Cali wiped fresh tears away and stared off at a few puffy little clouds drifting across the blue sky. “I think.. you’d be really proud of me, Ryn.” She whispered, past the lump that had returned. “Working in the armory, proving Dad wrong about the 'women can't be smiths' thing... and then that whole.. well, if you’d seen me, the other day in the mess hall.." She shook her head a little, not even sure what to say about that. "Maybe you did. I hope you did. I really didn't expect any of that to happen, or for me to do any of what I did, but.. I feel like.. like something inside was broken, for a while, after that.. incident last autumn. And now it's..."

She paused, and continued, "I.. I.. think I’m healing inside, finally.” She confessed, in a quiet, shaky voice. “Not just from that, but.. from everything. I don’t think I’ll ever be completely healed and whole again.. I’ll always carry this loss in my heart.” She added, dropping her gaze down to the grass under her hand. “But I feel.. like myself again, for the first time in… years.” She sighed, but managed a faint smile. “Like.. I can accept that it’s alright to be happy, and even laugh, and just.. enjoy life again.” She took a moment to take several slow, deep breaths, before continuing. “I guess I was wrong. You’d be saying ‘I told you so’ right about now, huh?” She said with a little laugh, remembering how her friends had tried so hard to get her to join them, and do things with them, and her reply was always something like, ‘those days are over,’ and "fun and happiness are gone forever' and whatever other nonsense she gave them. Some part of her heart had known all along that Ryn would want his sister to be happy and draw closer to their friends, not shut herself away from the world and be miserable and live in grief forevermore. But now she actually felt able to do that, at last.

Plucking a daisy nearby, she absently began twisting the stem to give herself something to do with her hands. Another wildflower eventually joined it as she began talking again, quietly. “We know, now, who took you from us.” She closed her eyes tight, remembering the look in Ryn’s eyes the day Berthion died from wounds too severe to be healed, and how she had pleaded with him not to seek revenge. She could feel that same desire burning inside her now. A desire to see Rip pay for what he’d done, for murdering her brother.. for organizing to have her and Iole kidnapped and shipped to Umbar.. for his part in Nal being injured and traumatized all those years ago.. for terrorizing and mentally tormenting Trev for all these years.. and who knew how many other terrible deeds that traitor had done? She wanted to personally see to it that he could never hurt anyone else again. But she pushed those feelings down as deep as she could, trying to cling to a sense of peace, instead. “Don’t worry, Ryn,” She managed a feeble smile as she opened her eyes, wet with tears, and focused on the chain she had begun to make out of the flower stems. “I know you’d tell me to keep away from him, that he’s too dangerous.. and I shouldn’t get mixed up in it.” She sighed. “And of course, you’d also know that would just as likely provoke me to want to prove that I can do whatever you and the other boys said I couldn’t…” She added with a little laugh.

“But no… I won’t go running off seeking revenge. Not because I’m afraid of him… if anything, the recent experience has shown me that I’m stronger and fiercer and more capable than I ever thought I could be. But because.. running off to seek revenge isn’t who I am.” She acknowledged, though she did think that she could do that sort of thing, if she really set her mind to it. But her desires were geared toward ensuring that people had well-crafted armor, and durable weapons, so they could stop the bad guys. “Yes. I’m better suited here where I am, keeping your ranger comrades properly equipped to hunt down criminals like him, and put a stop to the horrible things he, and others, do.” She wiped at her eyes and picked another flower to add to the chain. “I.. think I’m going to be alright, Ryn.” She murmured softly. “Me, and the others. We’ll all be fine. So don’t worry about us, because..” She stopped as the tears and lump returned suddenly, but pushed past the thick emotion, “because we’ll never forget you. And, keeping your memory alive is going to keep us strong.” She drew in a shaky breath, and it came out in a near-sob, but she plowed onward, “You always made sure we stuck together, no matter what Rip or anyone else threw at us, and.. we won't let anyone tear us apart. Never again.” She vowed tearfully.

Her hands stilled after a moment, and she spent a few moments breathing in and out shakily, trying to refrain from bursting into sobs. After a while, she blinked away the remaining tears, and her eyes focused on the chain of flowers in her lap. She smiled faintly, then linked both ends together and debated for a moment, remembering times that she and Iole used to make flower chains like these to put in their hair. Though half-tempted to drape it over the headstone, she could practically hear her twin protesting that it was a ‘girl thing’ and also, it would just sit there and wither pointlessly, and it would be more sensible for her to wear it in her hair, where it would look pretty. She let out a tiny laugh. “Yeah, yeah.” She muttered, as if in reply, then nodded and placed it on her head. She was glad no one else was around, or they might think she was nuts, talking to the air. Whatever.

Finding she had nothing else to say right now, Cali sat in silence for a while, until the light was fading to dusk. She ought to get back before anyone started wondering where she was. Slowly standing, she was careful not to put weight on her injured leg, then turned and faced the headstone. She hesitated for a moment before speaking again, softly. “I miss you... more than anything, you know.” She whispered, the lump rising up again to choke out her voice. “You were the best brother..” She stopped, blinking away tears, and cast her glance down the row to the other two as she brought a hand up to wipe away a tear that had started down one cheek. “All of you, the best brothers I could’ve asked for,” She bit her lip, sniffling. “I don’t know what I ever would’ve done without each of you. Especially, you,” She added, more softly, to the grave of Ryn. “And, now…thanks to you,” She continued with a little smile, despite the tears spilling down her cheeks, “I have two more ‘brothers’ here with me, to.. you know, worry about me and annoy me, and protect me and.. all that stuff you boys do,” She laughed softly. “And, of course, for me and Iole take care of, and keep them from doing too much stupid stuff...” She added with a little amusement, since she had a feeling that was going to be a common thing now that Trev and Nal were reunited.

“So yeah. Don’t worry about us, because we’ll look out for each other, and take care of each other.” She brushed away the tears, and let out a long exhale. It felt somehow comforting, to get all of that off her chest, to say it out loud, even if she was just saying it to the air. Whether their spirits were somewhere that they could hear her words or not, she felt better now. And, now that she'd said all she wanted to say, she hesitated slightly. A ‘goodbye’ of some sort seemed in order, but she didn’t like the finality of it, despite the ‘audience’ to whom it was addressed. After a moment, she found a better option, and smiled faintly. “I’ll see you all again, someday, whenever.. that time comes.” With a little nod to herself at that declaration, Cali considered that a promise. She brushed off her dress and made another attempt at wiping her eyes dry, then turned away from the graves and left the cemetery, limping her way back toward the city's gates before they closed for the night.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

"Alright, alright," she smiled, watching father and daughter agreeing on the 'not hovering'. And they were letting her pick? Kaylin pursed her lips a bit as she looked around. "Umm..." Always having been one for quick decisions, she soon pointed southwest. "That way!"

She guided her horse into a leisurely walk, not wasting any time. "One of your should take the lead," she said cheerily. "Wouldn't want any upset farmers bearing a grudge toward one of the King's Rangers." The way she said it, didn't sound like she actually meant it. Rather, it sounded like she'd think it was funny. Her actual sentiments were, however, hard to deduct.

"So, Eryn. How's Hattie? Is Nal still visiting her a lot?" She hardly tried to hide her grin at the question. But she had the grace to immediately distract Eryn's father with a question of his very own. She glanced at Duinion. "You know. I think you're handling your injury really well. It's been a long time, right?" she checked. "I'd be going crazy, not having full mobility for this long. Eryn can tell you how annoying I could get after just a few weeks. After a few months, I think I was probably insufferable. Yet," she said, smiling gratefully at the young woman, "you kept visiting. Either you're much too kind, or a sucker for punishment," she said humorously.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

Duinion laughed a little as Kaylin's comment didn't really make much sense. "If they were going to bear grudges against us, I don't think it would make much difference which one of us is leading the way." He pointed out. "Anyway, so long as we don't disturb the cows grazing, we won't upset Aggie or Cailon." He shrugged, but moved his horse forward a bit, finding that he had to mostly guide the horse with the reins, rather than with leg signals. Maybe as the healing progressed, he would return to normal riding abilities. "Would you like us to let you know when we leave their land?" He wondered, casting a little grin Kaylin's way.

"Oh, Hattie's fine," Eryn smiled, somewhat glad her dad was a bit ahead, so he wouldn't see any faint blush that rose to her cheeks. "I think she's off bothering uncle Cailon and getting in his way, today." She reported with a little amusement. "And, yes, Nal comes just about every day." She added with a slightly shy grin, but managed to get it under control rather quickly as her friend directed a question toward her dad.

Duinion smiled a little. "You have no idea.." He muttered softly, with a little shake of his head as the Hyandaner mentioned that she'd be going crazy by now.

"Yeah..." Eryn glanced at Kaylin as she moved Buttercup a little closer to Kaylin's horse.. "You should see how many arrows he's made," She mentioned, in a not-so-hushed whisper, as she wasn't really trying to be secretive. "I think he's secretly been commissioned to restock the armory." She giggled as she glanced teasingly toward her dad.

"I'm making a bow now," Duinion mentioned, as a mock-protest, but nodded. "But yes. It's been very, very long and dull." He sighed and shrugged. "But at least it isn't permanent." He added quietly, feeling he had no right to complain even if it was natural to want to. "And, it definitely helps to have friends come visit," he added softly, with a vague smile as he thought of his friend's secret visits.

"I enjoyed visiting you!" Eryn laughed at Kaylin's over-exaggeration of herself while recovering. She'd half-heard his comment about friends visiting, and recalled the secret she was now aware of, and quickly diverted the subject away in case Kaylin heard, and might become curious enough to ask. "Kaylin tells some great stories, Dad." She told Duinion with a little laugh. "You should hear some of them, sometime." She glanced at Kaylin with a slightly raised eyebrow, wondering if she might be willing to share one such tale now. "Maybe you could entertain us while we're riding?" She asked hopefully.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

Kaylin grinned at the slight reddening of Eryn's cheeks, but - being a good friend, teasing aside - obviously she did not comment. There was no need for Eryn to explain why she liked Nal coming over almost every day. If they'd been alone, Kaylin might have continued her teasing and asked whether she'd gotten another dance out of Unalmis. The chances of that happening were, of course, next to none. But you never knew. Her grin grew a little.

"Well, making arrows is a very useful and also boring way to fill the hours," she therefore stated still very amusedly, both in agreement with Eryn's sentiment and Duinion's. She was about to ask whether Duinion had gotten many visitors so far, when Eryn distracted her.

"Entertain you with a story?" she repeated questioningly. "Perhaps..." She did have a few new ones, although one of them she would definitely not be telling. "I suppose I could tell you a rather new one. It's called.." She let go of the reins with one hand to dramatically move her hand through the air in front of her. "...'Two Hyandaner and a recruit at the bar'. What do you think?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

"Well, some of those were for Eryn," Duinion replied with a little shrug. "Hattie got ahold of some of hers, and chewed them up." He explained. "Some of them, I'm worried she even ate the tip and all." He shook his head in exasperation. "That dog..." He laughed lightly. "I worry about her a little."

Eryn cast a sly glance toward Kaylin with an 'innocent' little smile, and mouthed 'orc blood' to help Kaylin catch on to what that was about. She glanced briefly toward her dad and saw that he was focused on the land ahead of them. Hattie had helped out quite a bit in that regard, and it had only been a few arrows, anyway.

As Eryn declared what a great storyteller Kaylin was, Duinion glanced back with some curiosity, and then smiled a bit with intrigue when the hyandaner agreed to tell a story, and began with a rather lengthy title. He slowed his horse so that the three of them were riding alongside each other, listening. "Would you happen to be one of the Hyandaners mentioned?" he asked with a little laugh. And he wondered if this was a story about recent events, or past ones. If it was from the past, it could even be when she was a recruit, he thought, curious about that.

"Oh, that sounds like interesting.. I haven't heard this one before," Eryn replied, grinning. "What happened?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

"I would," she smiled at Duinion, before grinning at Eryn. "And nooo, you haven't yet. Alright. This took place mid last month, so it has really only been a few weeks."

"Envision: an inn on the Second Circle," she began, deepening the tone of her voice as if she were setting the scene for a play. "Your favorite redhead Hyandaner is absolutely parches as well as nearly starving after an especially taxing training session at the grounds. After devouring a bowl of stew, she - who is I - turn around to survey the other patrons."

Her tone became lighter again as she continued. "And who do I see? None other than our dutiful Lieutenant. Ms Dealedwen was sitting at one of the tables. Reading. A. Book." She gave Eryn and Duinion a look and rolled her eyes. "So one Hyandaner walked to another and said there were much more fun things to do at an inn, instead of reading a book."

"So I challenged our Lieutenant to a game of darts!" she stated, looking at Duinion, for Arnyn was not Eryn's Lieutenant. Then she looked back at Eryn. "And, against my expectations, I should say, she agreed! Both of us have throwing knives in our basic weapons equipment, so the rounds were close. It pains to admit me that Arnyn won two out of three," Kaylin admitted - though the manner in which she admitted to this, was very easy and contradicted alleged pain. "I should also mention that I was consuming a steady flow of ale at Arnyn's expense, while the wily Lieutenant was sticking to water!"

"I then suggested we switched to dice." Kaylin glanced at Eryn. "I already told you I'm insanely lucky at dice. And I told the Lieutenant the same. She clamed not to play for money, but was game to play for what I dubbed 'eternal glory' and what she recognized as 'bragging rights'. Two sides of the same coin," Kaylin declared. "It was amusing to see Arnyn gawk at my rolls, which beat hers time and time again." Never mind that Arnyn hadn't in fact gawked. "A hidden talent, she called it - while I can hardly find anyone willing to play me anymore." The Hyandaner shook her head.

"And then, the Lieutenant chose the next game." Kaylin fell silent for a moment, still a bit impressed. "It surprised me she was willing to continue to play at all. We'd been at it for a while already. What further surprised me..." Kaylin seemed to consider her words for a moment, then tracked back slightly.
"The Lieutenant signalled the owner for another round, with an added gesture I did not quite recognize. She mysteriously told me it was time to play 'her' game now... And when Hildy brought over the drinks, part of the game was revealed, for Hildy also brought over a set of cards. Yet little could I have predicted what the Lieutenant had called 'her' game." She left a pause, only this time for dramatic effect as she looked at her audience.

"She wanted to play Never Nervous." Kaylin raised an eyebrow. "Ring a bell?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

Duinion glanced at the red-haired ranger riding beside him, about to protest about Arnyn reading a book. But he closed his mouth and decided not to comment on the fact that he liked to read and didn't find it boring at all, nor did he see any problem with someone wanting to read, regardless of where they might be. He listened with growing surprise and curiosity, when she mentioned dragging Arnyn away from her book to do other things she considered 'more fun'.

"She agreed?" Eryn asked, a little surprised. "Is that the sort of thing she usually does?" She wondered, realizing she really didn't know much about the lieutenant. Hearing that Arnyn had won most of the rounds, she was a little surprised, since she thought Kaylin would've been better. But, again, she hardly knew anything about Arnyn. She nodded when Kaylin mentioned being so lucky at dice, and grinned as she talked about how amazed Arnyn was at her luck.

"Eternal glory," Duinion repeated with an amused smile, and shook his head slightly. He tried to imagine Arnyn 'gawking' in amazement, and couldn't quite picture it. She just seemed too reserved for that, tending to keep her expressions hidden, from what he had observed thus far. As Kaylin went on to say that Arnyn had then challenged her to a game of her own, he raised an eyebrow. "Cards?" He was slightly surprised, as Arnyn didn't really strike him as a card-game type of person. Upon hearing the name of the game, he paused, searching in his memory trying to decide if he'd ever heard that name mentioned before by anyone else, but eventually shook his head. "Afraid not... I've never really played cards before." He admitted. "Growing up, when I wasn't off having some sort of adventure with my friend, I.. usually did a lot of reading." He added with a faint smile, figuring she might say it was boring.

"What's that game?" Eryn wondered. "Never Nervous? Is it like poker, with lots of players, or what?" She noticed they were nearing the end of the pasture, which marked the edge of the dairy farm's property, and beyond that were a couple of other farms, an orchard, and beyond that, she couldn't remember if she'd been that far.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

"It's the only time I have ever known Arnyn to do such a thing," Kaylin responded empathically to Eryn's question. "But since she had a wordless 'card' signal the innkeeper understood... I imagine there is a history there I am not aware of." Looking thoughtful, she sighed. "The more time I spend with the Lieutenant, and especially the more stories I hear, the more I want to know," she said more quietly. "But for some reason, Arnyn isn't prone to sharing much." Kaylin shrugged. "All the more reason to get my information elsewhere." A grin.

When Duinion said he didn't know Never Nervous, that he never really played cards before and that he was more of a reader, Kaylin figured he might have misunderstood her meaning, earlier. "Oh, Duinion - I can also appreciate a good book," she reassured him. "But as far as I'm concerned, you read books when you're alone or in the comfort of your home or out in the grass somewhere. Not in a pub or an inn. Not when there are other things begging for attention." Her smile brightened again. "And especially not when I'm there!"

"Back to the story. Recruit Trastion came in then, and agreed to watch us play Never Nervous although he was loathe to participate himself. And while Arnyn made it clear she does not play for money, like I said - she asked us how we felt about... a bet." Kaylin widened her eyes with glee at the memory. "A bet," she repeated, rather pleased. Then she looked at Eryn, grinning. "A BET!" The exclamation was perfectly happy, preceeding an honest laugh of recollection. "If Trastion or I won a game, I could tell Trastion a story I'd heard about Arnyn. And perhaps gauge if it was true by her reaction. If Arnyn won against one of us, then we would have to tell a story about ourselves."

She proceeded to explain Never Nervous to them both, albeit briefly. Kaylin mostly concluded it was a game meant to be played fast, that it required attention on your own cards as well as your opponent's, and that strategy was involved. "I'm quite good," she mused. "But Arnyn..." She shook her head. "Well. She wasn't wrong when she called it 'her' game, I guess," the Hyandaner admitted with some recalcitrance.

"She won against me, twice." Kaylin looked very disappointed. "And it didn't even look like she was trying. And then, against Trastion - who was a complete novice - she LOST!" Kaylin narrowed her eyes, still highly suspicious of Arnyn throwing that game, although she could think of no reason why the Lieutenant would actually do so. "But at least it enabled me to tell the grand story called: Arnyn's belated arrival at the Cruise." She grinned at Duinion. "Have you heard that one?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

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Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

Listening as Kaylin answered Eryn's question, Duinion then smiled softly when she hastened to assure him that she had not meant any offence by the book comment. "No, I understand." He replied, a little amused. "I wouldn't have done much reading at all if my friend Domanol hadn't had to go to school now and then." he mentioned jokingly. "If it had been left all up to him, we'd have spent every waking moment doing anything but being studious." He laughed. "So, I really only did my reading while he was at school, or.. if I had some other reason that I had to wait on him to be free to come out and play." The books had been a nice alternative to real adventures, providing a slight escape from reality, but playing with Dom had always been a higher priority. So he totally understood Kaylin's thinking about it. "Alas, Eryn has never been much interested in books." He cast a teasingly despairing look her way.

Eryn grinned. "Well, at least I was nice enough to raid the library for you while you were hurt." She pointed out. "And made a friend, doing it." She added, thinking of the girl she'd met who helped her pick out all the books for her dad. "But never mind about books, what happened next?" She asked, eager to hear the rest of the story.

Back to the story then, indeed. Kaylin went on to bring Trastion into the scene. Duinion had guessed the recruit in the story must be him, since he knew of no other recruits at present. And she had said this had happened only a few weeks ago. "She made a bet?" Duinion was actually rather shocked to hear that. It seemed highly unlike everything he thus far knew of the lieutenant, and he actually stared at Kaylin for a moment at that point.

Eryn knew very little about her, so she wasn't quite as shocked, but listened with great intrigue. "Ohh, a story?" She laughed. "So, what happened if you lost though?" She wondered. "Did that mean she got to tell a story about you or him?" She tilted her head curiously, wondering. And soon after, Eryn's jaw dropped. "Wait... he won? Seriously? And you mean he'd never played it before?"

"Are you sure Trastion was a novice at it?" Duinion couldn't help but ask, thoughtful. "Perhaps she just took it easy on him," He shrugged, and then shook his head at her next question. "I know next to nothing about the lieutenant, actually." He realized. "Aside from what little I have gathered from speaking with her, now and then." He guided his horse toward the edges of the orchard that they had arrived at, at last. "Did she miss the cruise or something?" He was curious what would be so significant about her being late for it, unless because of people gossiping about her being late.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

These father and daughter interactions were actually... endearing. Kaylin raised a mental eyebrow at herself, then shook it off by nodding enthusiastically at Duinion's question. "I know, right? I never would have figured her to do something like that!" At Eryn's questions, Kaylin nodded. "Sort of. So, if she lost, I could share a story about her. If either Trastion or I lost, we would need to tell a story about ourselves." Kaylin looked triumphant. "In any case, I got to tell a story when I played! And I like tellng stories. Hence, a good bet. Trastion was more opposed, but between the Lieutenant and I, we won him over anyway," she laughed. "I suppose for Arnyn, it wasn't a very risky bet. She knows the stories about herself, I'd imagine. Perhaps not the exact way they are told, but at least the gist of them. And the stories were bound to end up with Trastion one way or the other, as well. He DOES live in the barracks. There's no better place to hear 'em." She looked at Duinion. "It's why I spend a few meals at the mess every week anyway, even if Thûllir and I have our own place."

When Duinion asked if she was sure Trastion was a novice at the game, Kaylin gave this some thought. At the time, she would have replied with an instant 'yes'. But since he had proven a bit of an actor later that day... "I think so," she decided in the end, not seeing a reason for him to pretend to be stupid about it. And, Kaylin knew his game hadn't been that good. "Odds are higher she was, yeah," she agreed with Duinion. "Though I cannot figure out why. Just because she didn't want to put him in a tight spot?" she wondered out loud, remembering Trastion's refusal to participate in the bet at first. "Or just because she wanted him to play without feeling uncomfortable?" No, that couldn't be it, right?

Duinion's next statement almost flabbergasted her. "Next to NOTHING? Oh but sir! That will not do!" She laughed. "I mean, sure, getting to really know the woman herself seems like a challenge. But she's been a ranking ranger in the City for so long that the stories about her are plenty and ubiquitous. That you have managed to hear next to none is..." Kaylin looked unsure of what word to use. "Well, surprising."

"The belated arrival at the cruise would be a good way to continue your education, then," she decided, laughing at the way she'd phrased that. She proceeded to tell the tale with spirit, much in the way she had done so at the Inn.

Once she was done, she cast a curious look at both Eryn and Duinion. "Trastion did not doubt it was true - and the way Arnyn reacted, I still think it's true as well. Alas, she refused to share how she managed to get her hands on all the different clothes she wore during that cruise. When I asked, she just asked in return to at least leave some mystery to her." Kaylin laughed.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

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Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

"Was she?" Duinion asked, glancing with mild surprise at the hyandaner riding between him and Eryn. "Well.. I haven't spent much time in the city.." He shrugged, not wanting to go into that in more detail. "I didn't get very familiar with anyone outside of those rangers serving in the same company as myself." He added, more quietly. He fell silent and listened as Kaylin launched into yet another tale. Between he and Eryn, they were amazed, surprised, and in wonder by the end of the tale.

"Wow, she actually swung on a garland?!" Eryn laughed. "That sounds like a story Dad might've told me about stuff him and his friend did, growing up." She grinned over at him. "I've only heard a few stories about their adventures, and I bet he left out a lot so he wouldn't 'give me ideas'." She rolled her eyes, but smiled, as if hoping he might offer up something.

Duinion smiled a bit self-consciously, looking away. "Perhaps.." He answered vaguely with a faint smile lingering. "Perhaps she had sent her luggage ahead?" He suggested, returning the focus to Kaylin's tale, and attempting to provide some logical explanation to the mystery. "Alas, she likely wouldn't confirm such a thing if it were true, but it is a possibility, wouldn't you say?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

Kaylin nodded excitedly at Eryn's exclamation. "She did! Oh, how I wish I could have seen it for myself!" When Eryn said that it sounded like some of the things Duinion used to do, growing up, Kaylin was intrigued. "What stuff did you get up to, then?" she inquired curiously. "And why on earth did you stop?" She always found it so sad when people lost their knack for what some would call 'trouble' and others would call 'fun'. "Unless, of course, you didn't stop?" Her blue-grey eyes sparkled with humor.

The Tirdinen's suggestion about Arnyn perhaps having sent her luggage out ahead, gave Kaylin some pause. "Maybe," she drawled. "Then again, if she thought to do that, then why would she have been late herself?" She wasn't convinced. However it was entirely likely she did not want to give too much credit to the idea because it was... well, so logical it would be kind of disappointing.

Doubling back to Duinion's earlier comment, Kaylin shrugged. "The past is in the past, of course. But I don't know. When Pele became Captain, I had no qualms about her ability because I already knew her and I've seen her in action. I knew 'next to nothing' about Arnyn when she got promoted, though, despite having worked together on the Poros mission. All I knew is she could fight and seemed nice enough, and that a number of the others seemed to know her very well and liked her. I felt reassured once I heard about her track record, you know? At least it means she's experienced in leading others and has had some success. Why else would Pele promote her again now?"

She smiled at Eryn. "Arnyn actually joined when she was older than you are now." Kaylin thought that might reassure Eryn in some way. "And it didn't take her long at all to advance through the ranks, apparently." She shook her head. Then she grinned, thinking about the story again. "It's a shame she wouldn't tell me whether she was still a Lieutenant at the time or not. It would only increase the story's value if not!"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

Kaylin's question caught Duinion off guard a bit. "Um," he hesitated, unsure if he ought to tell about any of the silly adventures from his youth. But the next question was even more unexpected. Why did he stop? He paused for a moment, hesitating. A few things came to mind. 'My partner in mischief took off and left me behind..' or, 'my best friend went missing and was declared dead..' or 'I had to take care of my daughter after my wife died'... and a variety of other things that had happened to hamper his desire to do the things he used to do. Although there had been plenty of 'adventure and excitement' while serving in Ithilien. But he felt any of those answers would drag the conversation down into depression. After a brief hesitation, he found a better solution, and gave a faint smile. "I only paused for a while, you might say." He glanced toward Eryn, hoping Kaylin might catch what he meant.. that he'd had to be a responsible adult and take care of his daughter, rather than running off on fun adventures and getting involved in mischief like he did when he was younger.

Eryn giggled. "Yes, because he couldn't walk for months." She added, thinking he meant more recently. Honestly, she was sort of dying to tell Kaylin about the secret she knew, but it wasn't her secret to tell, so she wouldn't. But, she realized that the conversation might have put Duinion in a tight spot concerning that secret, and tried to help out. "He still won't tell me how he managed to lose that other crutch." She threw a suspicious glance toward her dad. "I just hope it didn't end up as firewood." She narrowed her eyes at him, although she was still just teasing a little.

Rolling his eyes as that was brought up, he tried to keep from appearing flustered about it. "Honestly, Eryn, I have no idea where it is." He insisted, as if this was not the first time this had come up. "Sorry," he added to Kaylin, clearing his throat lightly. "So, I had never met Arnyn until she became our lieutenant." he mentioned, as if trying to change the subject. "Actually, Unalmis and Pele are the only ones in our current group that I knew previously."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

"Oh," Kaylin responded, growing thoughtful when Duinion indicated Eryn. Yeah. Becoming a parent probably forced you into a more... mature role. She blinked. Well. There must still be those moments where you could get up to a thing or two. "There are levels of mischief," she said, trying to convince herself more than anything. "I don't get involved in silly fun things as much as I used to, but once in a while, there's an opportunity I grab onto with both hands!"

"You lost a crutch?" Her eyes flicked back between Duinion and Eryn. "Lost?" She sounded skeptical. It seemed strange to her to just lose something you needed to walk. And if he had no longer needed it, he could have just placed it in the farm somewhere. "Don't you need to return it to the Houses of Healing?" she teased the older Ranger. Not knowing him very well didn't stop her from doing so. "That's not very responsible, Dada Duinion!"

She shrugged when Duinion mentioned he only knew Unalmis and Pele. "Well, I know plenty of rangers, but from our current group? I guess... At first I only knew Pele, Thullir, Karis and Mourgan really well. I've had one great experience with Isys, but..." Kaylin's voice got a bit more quiet. "I don't dare say what terms we're on now. And we don't really know each other. I guess she is more of an acquaintance. Unalmis and Arnyn I just got to work with on the Poros mission, but that was the end of that." Her tone became a bit more cheerful again. "But I've been getting to know the Lieutenant better and better over the past months. And now here you and I are, getting to know each other a bit!" she told Duinion, shining a positive light on things. "I'm sure you could do the same with the others!"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

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Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

"As do I," Duinion mentioned quietly.. hopefully low enough not to carry over to where Eryn rode on the other side of Kaylin. He smiled faintly. That was easier to do, these days. Although he wondered whether that would stop once his friend left again, as he said he intended to do eventually. Duinion wished he wouldn't, but he also understood.

The hyandaner's reaction to his losing a crutch brought a faint blush up to his face, though he hoped his beard would hide that. "Um.. yes. They will be wanting it back, I'm sure." He cleared his throat a little awkwardly, both amused and annoyed at Dom for that. "I'm sure it'll turn up eventually." He tried to remain positive in that regard, and hoped to turn the topic away from that.

"I still think he did it on purpose," Eryn 'whispered' to Kaylin, not making any attempt at actually being secretive. "But we'll let him keep his secrets." She glanced over at him and smiled, going quiet while they talked about who all they knew in the rangers.

"Thullir is your husband.. right?" Duinion asked, fairly sure he'd heard something along those lines. "I haven't met him." he paused. "Nor Karis, although I know who she is, from having seen her around. And I vaguely know Mourgan but I don't remember if we've ever actually met. Or spoken." He shrugged slightly, and grew thoughtful as Kaylin spoke about Isys. "I met Isys back in the spring, the day Pele was assigned captain." He mentioned thoughtfully. "She seems...interesting." He hesitated, trying to decide if he should speak up about something she had said during that other meeting. "Don't you get along with her? Or.. is that none of my business?" He asked, glancing back at her curiously.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

"Everyone is entitled to at least a few secrets," Kaylin agreed good-naturedly. "If he will not tell you what happened to the crutch, perhaps it's too embarrassing to admit," she decided, grinning at Eryn and Duinion both.

When they spoke of Isys, Kaylin shrugged. And sighed. It felt a bit strange to talk about it to others, especially since she didn't know Duinion all that well. When he asked if it was none of his business, she looked at him thoughtfully. "In a way, no. In another way, it is," she said soberly. "If we might be going on some assignment together. The way we met was great, a few years ago. It might have involved a prank or some such," she laughed. "And our following, brief interactions were all fine to even amusing - until a while back. It's mostly my fault." She fell silent for a moment, before continuing. "She just made some choices that I didn't... agree with. And um." A sigh. "I may have overreacted," she admitted, mumbling.

"But yeah, Thûllir's my Ranger," she said with satisfaction, in reply to Duinion's earlier question, all too happy to shift the subject away from her current uncomfortable relationship with the Ehtyar. "Eryn has met him on a few of her visits, though he mostly left us to our chatting. Not wanting to intrude." She smiled. "You two should totally have some fun at the archery range sometime, once your foot doesn't hinder you anymore. I shoot as well, but I'm not at all as good as he is. While he tests his own skills against Karis from time to time, I think he could use another opponent. Or the three of you could even make a proper contest of it!" Her cadence got faster and more excited the more she spoke. "It could be a great way to get to know them!" Little did she know that Arnyn had already suggested more or less the same, weeks ago.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

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Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

Duinion sent a somewhat thankful glance toward Kaylin, at that. While the incident wasn't really all that embarrassing, it was difficult to explain without revealing the 'Dom secret'. And that made it difficult to convince anyone that it was not his fault. He refrained from sighing, and then focused on what Kaylin was saying.

He grew thoughtful and quiet as she replied to the Isys matter. So, there was some difference in opinion, he thought curiously. And an overreaction to something. He nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Perhaps.. if you feel it was your fault, and apology is in order? And.. maybe you two could try to move past whatever happened?" He suggested cautiously. "Sometimes.. it's worth swallowing a little pride, if that's what it takes to restore a friendship.. or any sort of relationship." He sighed, then shrugged. "Sorry if that was unwelcome," He added as an afterthought, realizing he barely knew her and, this was between her and Isys. But he'd spent most of the summer trying to convince someone to just go talk to his brother and try to reconcile things, so maybe he was just still in that mode. Still, he couldn't help remembering what Isys had said just a few weeks ago about Kaylin, and the implication that she had no friends troubled him. Everyone needed friends..

Kaylin seemed eager to switch the topic to that of her husband, and he listened, a small smile coming to his face at her suggestion. "You know, the lieutenant suggested something like that as well." he mentioned. "With Karis, at least.. I don't think she mentioned Thullir. I would like that, but I'd like to wait until I've finished my new bow. Give me a bit of time to get used to it.. then I'd be happy to put it to the test." He grinned, then motioned to the one that he was carrying on Smoke's saddle, which Eryn had packed for him. "This one doesn't belong to me, it's borrowed, so.. it's no quite the same."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

"I do NOT feel it was my fault," Kaylin snapped before she could help it. Realizing it had slipped out, she pressed her lips together as if to keep more from coming out involuntarily.
Trying to be polite, she let him finish. She would think a bit more carefully about her next words. "The overreaction was my fault, of course," she allowed. "Maybe I am still too wrapped up in my past as a soldier," she muttered. In the army, it would have been unthinkable to go about such endeavours entirely on your own. Isys had a different past, though. Nobility. Knights and such. And the Rangers now... they did have a lot more people who liked to 'act alone'. Kaylin sighed. Was she really one to talk? she wondered. With her temperament? Thûllir's words came back to the front of her mind. Kaylin had not always informed everyone of everything she'd been up to or that was happening to her, either.

"Everyone makes a bad decision from time to time." Her words were quiet but audible. "Myself included." But she was afraid Isys might do the exact same thing now if the situation were to present itself again. She seemed to see no problem with her actions. Kaylin shrugged, not wanting to discuss it in detail with others. "If I knew her better, I would have spoken to her about this by now. It's the only way to possible resolve it." She'd spoken to Pele long ago, to smooth things over after that meeting, after all. "But we don't really know each other very well. That makes things... difficult, I guess."

Kaylin rolled her eyes then. "The Lieutenant is just full of good suggestions, isn't she." Whether that comment was sarcastic or not, was difficult to say.
"Making your own bow, huh?" she asked Duinion. "That's pretty sweet." She smiled. "He pretends not to be, but Thûllir can be quite competitive." It was not an admonition - to the contrary, she sounded quite proud. "I am sure he could give you a run for your money, Tirdinen!"

Redirecting her focus to Eryn, Kaylin pulled her friend back into the conversation. "Better make sure he makes enough time to teach you things once his foot heals," she said, grinning. "Sounds like your father is making all sorts of plans! Adventures, archery competitions and what not. How about your plans, Eryn? How's the apprenticeship at the Houses of Healing going lately?"

[Romeran]

Ranger Trainee Romeran
The Pelennor
August
@Arnyn @Rillewen

Romeran expressed his gratitude to Trastion, nodding intently as he listened to the instructions. He admitted to Trastion, "You know, nobody ever really 'taught' me how to ride. I just watched the other farmhands and tried to pick it up that way." He paused for a moment, reflecting on his past experiences. "Sometimes, the nicer farmhands would give me a tip or two, but those were usually about how to control the horse when pulling a till or other more technical tasks."

As he continued practicing the posture Trastion had described, Romeran couldn't help but comment, "You're a good teacher, Trastion." He initially felt a little uncomfortable, as he was used to a more slouched and relaxed posture. However, as he worked on maintaining the correct alignment, he started to notice that he seemed more stable in this position on the horse. Daisy seemed to approve of Romeran's improved posture as well, responding positively to the changes he was making. Romeran took this as a sign that he was on the right track, and it motivated him to continue practicing. He focused on keeping his back straight and his weight balanced, carefully observing the sensation of this new position on the horse.

As the two of them made their way back to Lieutenant Arnyn, Romeran diligently practiced staying in the right posture. He was determined not to fall back into his old habits, understanding the importance of proper riding form for both his own safety and that of his horse. Romeran's thoughts occasionally drifted back to Trastion's explanation of how he had learned to ride so well. Although he still found it puzzling that Trastion had gained such expertise from limited lessons with his brother and a lumberjack, Romeran chose not to dwell on it. Instead, he focused on the valuable guidance he was receiving and the noticeable improvements he was making in his riding.

As they neared Lieutenant Arnyn, Romeran felt a sense of accomplishment. Not only had he made strides in his galloping technique, but he had also gained valuable knowledge about proper riding posture. He knew that he still had much to learn, but with Trastion's guidance, he felt more confident in his abilities as a rider. Romeran was also beginning to feel closer with Trastion, perhaps even the beginnings of a friendship. As they arrived near to the Lieutenant, Romeran couldn't help but express his gratitude "Trastion is an excellent teacher" he claimed to Arnyn, although realizing that he hardly seemed qualified to make such an assertion "well, at least as far as I'm concerned" he added as caveat.

[Rillewen]

@Romeran

Recruit Trastion Leithor
Riding adventure - August

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help." Trastion replied, smiling slightly. He couldn't help worrying that maybe he'd slipped up a little with what he'd told Rome, and hoped he wouldn't start asking more about his background. "Yeah, I imagine that would require you to know what you're doing." He nodded thoughtfully as Rome talked about the farmhands teaching him how to do specific things. "I've never done that, but I know that driving a wagon is nowhere near the same as driving a wagon laden with logs.. or stones," He commented. "You have to be able to drive really slow and steady, and keep an eye on the road and avoid as many bumps and holes as possible... and if it's slippery, you have to be able to control wagon if it starts sliding, and all that stuff. Takes a lot of skill and effort." He shrugged. It was his hope that, showing that he knew plenty about his previous jobs, might make his story more convincing.

It was a nice day, the sun shining and he was happy to be outside in it. He was a little surprised to hear that he was a good teacher, and smiled faintly. "Thanks. I..." He hesitated and shrugged. "I guess I'm just trying to do the same as my brother did, when he taught me." He concluded quietly. "You're a quick learner, though. You're doing very well with that." He smiled and nodded approvingly at the improvement Rome was making with his posture.

Eventually, they caught up with the lieutenant, and Trastion felt a little awkward as Rome immediately began bragging on his teaching abilities. "I didn't really do that much," he mumbled, then tried to move the conversation back to their goal. "So, now that Rome knows how to ride a bit better, are we ready to go wherever we're going?" He asked, smiling hopefully. "Where are we going, again?" he added, in the slight hope that he might be able to get some clue about their destination.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

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Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

A bit startled by Kaylin's retort, Duinion blinked and stared for a second at her, both confused and surprised by her reaction. Didn't she just say she felt like it was her fault? He frowned slightly. "I'm sorry. I misunderstood," he said quietly. "I apologize if I was out of line." He hesitated, listening as she spoke about Isys for a moment, then nodded. "I can see how it would make things difficult." he acknowledged. "I don't know her well, either." He nearly made mention of the comment Isys had made before which had seemed to imply that she would like to patch things up with Kaylin, but after the reaction Kaylin just had, he decided maybe it would be best to leave it at that.

Instead, he was somewhat glad to let the conversation move to the archery topic. "Yes," he answered, when she asked about making his own. "I prefer to make things myself when I can. And.. anyway, it's a sort of hobby during my free time. Arrows as well as bows." He shrugged, and listened as she spoke about her husband, and smiled. "I'm sure it would be interesting." He agreed.


As her father and Kaylin started talking about ranger type things, Eryn let her horse fall back a few paces to let them talk without intruding. She was a little surprised to hear Kaylin suddenly speak sharply, and glanced up at her in surprise. She hadn't really been paying attention to what they'd been saying, but a moment later it seemed things were alright again. Before long, Kaylin drew her back into the conversation. Eryn smiled, letting Buttercup come up even with their horses again. "It's coming along well I guess." She answered. "I'm learning lots of stuff there. But I'm more excited to get to start learning this," She tapped the wooden daggers she'd brought along, and grinned. "Did I hear something about having an archery contest?" She wondered if that was a ranger-only thing, or if anyone could join.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen @Romeran


Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
The Pelennor
August

She'd shared a brief chat and a laugh with the guards at the gate while Nársulë was enjoying the break after stretching his legs. They'd shown her a way up the Rammas Echor, by the gate, and she was still sitting high upon the wall when Romeran and Trastion arrived.

When Romeran called up to her that Trastion was an excellent teacher - in his opinion, Arnyn grinned. Trastion took the humble approach, and steered away from the compliment immediately, changing the topic to their destination once more. The grin remained on her face as she just watched the trainee and the recruit upon their horses and let them simmer a bit.

"Want to get down, Lieutenant?" one of the guards called up. "It's not as easy a climb down as it is up. Want a hand?"

Arnyn smiled at the guard. "That's alright, Donovan." She put her hands on the edge of the wall and slowly lowered herself to a controlled hang. With one foot braces against the wall, she let go of her hands and used her foot to push away and make a half turn as she dropped. Once her feet touched the ground, she got rid of most of the impact by channelling it into a forward roll.

"Nice try," she told Trastion as she straightened. "Whoever guesses our destination first, can get the watch shift of their choice tonight. If neither of you guesses it in time, I get first choice." Swinging herself up and over the saddle, she gave the two young Rangers a look that could be construed as if she were challenging them. She had her stallion head for the gate. "Until next time!" she called out to the guards. They smiled and looked after the trio as they passed through the gate on onto the North road.

"So then," Arnyn said. "Do either of you want to venture a guess?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

Kaylin sighed and waved Duinion's words away: the apology about possibly being out of line. "No apologies necessary," she mumbled. "I'm sure Isys and I will end up on each other's good side again at some point. Maybe we need to take a page from the guy playbook and hit at each other with sticks or something."

Meanwhile, Eryn didn't sound overly enthusiastic about her healer training. Kaylin gave her friend an approving smile. "Healing is a good skill to have, so I'm glad it's going well. You could be like... a Ranger healer. Like the Captain. Perhaps that skill bodes well for going up the ranks," she laughed. "At the very least it makes you invaluable on missions and campaigns, and increases the chances of survival of everyone around you, including yourself. So best not undervalue it!"

"Hm hm!" she replied affirmatively to Eryn's question about the archery contest. "I thought your dad could face off against my husband or something. Guys tend to like competition." She grinned at Duinion then. "Though I must admit it isn't their sole prerogative. I do as well. Yet I can't compete with longbow archers." Turning back to Eryn, Kaylin got an idea. "Maybe we can have a little competition of our own sometime, Eryn? You won't be allowed on the grounds, but we can do it anywhere really."

Kaylin's eyes fell on Eryn's new wooden daggers. "Much more fun than archery," she commented with a nod at the weapons. A shrug. "Or at least I think so."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

Duinion smiled faintly at the comment about the 'guy's playbook' thing. Shaking his head slightly, he nonetheless filed that thought away for future reference. "Does that really work?" he wondered, partly out of curiosity, but also so he might know in case it came to that with a certain pair of brothers he hoped would reunite soon.

Eryn, meanwhile, smiled softly and turned her head away from Kaylin, pretending to merely be admiring the scenery. She couldn't help thinking about the thing with Nal and his friend Trev, at the Midsummer event, and thought it was too bad that Kaylin and Isys didn't have enough history of friendship for something like that to work with them. She did, however, begin thinking about other plots and wondered if Kaylin would be upset if she tried to help.

Turning back toward her friend as the topic moved to the healer training, Eryn smiled a little bigger at the mention that a healer would be invaluable on missions. "I suppose you're right." She agreed. "I'm not sure if it's something I'd like to do for a specialty, though." She added, thoughtful. She glanced over at her dad, but shrugged as she looked down at Buttercup's neck. "At the moment, I really just don't like feeling helpless to do anything, if someone gets hurt, you know." She cleared her throat softly. "Um, like when some of the rangers had to come for help after breathing all that smoke, I was glad the healers let me help and everything. And showed me how to help with the first few, so then I was able to take care of several of the smoke victims, while the more skilled healers tended to more serious wounds."

The idea of archery competitions made her grin. "That would be fun!" She agreed. "We could make some different targets besides Mr Orc, and set up a whole area just for that." She glanced at her dad. "Maybe we could work on that together?" She suggested, figuring it would be alright for him to help so long as he took it easy on his foot.

"We could do that, yes." He nodded, thinking of a few ideas already. "I prefer archery, myself," he commented, after Kaylin's remark about the daggers being 'more fun'. "I've always found it a bit less risky to kill orcs from a distance, before they get close enough to inflict any wounds on me. Especially since they often carried weapons covered in filth that would easily infect wounds." He mentioned quietly. "Which, of course, is still a risk if they have bows of their own, but.. still." He shrugged, deciding to drop that line of discussion. "Anyway... things are a little different now. And one cannot always carry a bow around, especially while walking around the city. Blades, however... I like them for backup. They're easier to carry without drawing so much attention." He smiled slightly, glancing at the two redheads riding beside him. "Everyone has their own preferences, though."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

Kaylin nodded with conviction when Duinion asked if men hitting each other really worked. "Oh yes - I've seen it work with my own eyes. More than once. With soldiers, though... and they are a bit of a different sort than rangers. Though I've seen it work with civilians, too," she then realized. "It depends on the people involved, probably," she concluded with a smile.

The thought of taking healing as a specialty made Kaylin scowl. "Yeah, I get not wanting to do that," she said, clearly having made up her mind long ago about how that would not be something she'd ever do. The comment about not wanting to feel helpless when someone got hurt, temporarily made Kaylin quiet down a little. "Right," was all she said, given Eryn a sideways look.

Duinion's stated preference for archery drew her attention then, and Kaylin shrugged. "Your reason for preferring it is exactly my reason for not preferring it. Picking opponents off from a distance?" The suggestion almost seemed ludicrous. "Where is the fun in that?!" She shook her head. "No, no, no. Up close and personal, that's where the good times are." She grinned at the Tirdinen. "But as you say - to each their own." Clearly, she didn't hold anything against people who preferred their main weapon to take out the enemy from a distance. Her husband, after all, was among them.

"Then the archery contest is a deal," she whirled back, addressing Eryn. "We'll make a thing of it. Maybe you can invite Unalmis too, if you're open to a few more people joining in?" The Hyandaner hid a smile at that. "And I could invite little bro." She realized Eryn wouldn't know who she was referring to. And neither would Duinion. "I mean, Trastion. He told me he's been working on his archery with the Lieutenant."

"I think sometimes the Lieutenant and I might need to hit at each other with sticks, too," she noted drily. "We don't always... um... see eye to eye."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

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Duinion & Erynneth Raedor
August

"Hmm," Duinion was thoughtful about that, and only half-listened as the other two spoke about healer training and such. He was very glad that Eryn was learning those skills, even if it meant she would be that much closer to completing the training when that time came. He completely understood wanting to know how to help injured people, having been there himself plenty of times in the past. He held back a sigh, and made no mention of such sad things that might ruin the mood.

A little laugh came from him then, when Kaylin declared how much more fun it was to get 'up close and personal'. He shrugged, smiling a bit. "I suppose I can understand that." He agreed, deciding not to get too deeply into a conversation about that. That could easily turn to a sad line of conversation, and he would not go there. Not today, when everyone wanted to be cheery. Not with Eryn around, either. "Each style has its uses, in various situations," was all he commented about it, instead.

Eryn blinked in surprise at Kaylin. "Wait. Trastion is your brother?" She asked, confused. "Or am I missing something?" She asked, a little uncertain how something like that could have gone undiscovered for so long, with her and Kaylin being friends, and she'd spoken with Trastion a few times now and he'd never once mentioned this. "We definitely have to invite him," She agreed, then grinned. "And Nal. Although he uses a crossbow.. does that still count?" She wondered, unsure whether the 'rules' of the archery contest would include a crossbow.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Kaylin
The Pelennor - the dairy farm
Visiting Eryn
August

Kaylin laughed at Eryn's question. She just seemed so genuinely flabbergasted, and the fact that she immediately believed Trastion was actually Kaylin's brother, was hilarious! "Define 'brother'," she shrugged, kind of enjoying the question. Even though she wanted to tell Eryn about how all that had come to pass, Trastion and she had agreed - emphatically - NOT to share it with anyone. "We just ended up calling each other that after hanging out a bit," she said. "There was some drinking involved, I might be fuzzy on some of the details." It wasn't an outright lie. She had been drinking a lot, that day. And saying she might be fuzzy didn't mean she actually was. Technicalities.

When Eryn asked if a crossbow still counted, Kaylin's expression showed she didn't really care. "If it is our competition, we make the rules, don't we?" she returned the question, smiling broadly at her friend. "I think a crossbow would count for sure!"

"So. I think I've told a few good stories by now. You're up," she then decided, looking at Duinion and Eryn. "Either of you will do. Then I might just be cajoled into sharing some more stories myself." The redhead grinned.