Minas Tirith Streets and Levels (Free RP)

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Ava
Fifth Circle, Ava's house
Dec 27th - Afternoon

Ava nodded slightly when he suggested putting his boots on again, and stepped back once he had released her from his arms. She smiled at him, feeling like some great weight had been removed that she hadn't even noticed before. She was about to ask him if he'd like to eat here, at her house, or go out someplace, but then he surprised her by asking her.. to go dancing.

Ava blinked, listening to the rest of his invitation, a faint smile playing on her lips. More dancing? That would be fun! However, she did not miss the fact that he mentioned 'and Arnyn'. She hesitated briefly before giving her reply. "I would love to.. if you're sure it wouldn't intrude on your time with your sister?" She added, checking. While she would like for a chance to improve relations with Arnyn, she also didn't want to cause the opposite effect, by intruding where she may not be welcome.

[Rillewen]

Flashback - About 5.5 years ago
Trevadir & Tobedir Thormaetha
At home, 1st circle

“Toby! Go away.” Trevadir glared at his kid brother, feeling in a rather foul mood today. “Go help Grandma in the kitchen.” The teenager shoved Tobedir toward the door of the bedroom the brothers shared. He didn’t want his annoying brother hanging around. There were times enough when a fifteen-year-old wouldn’t want some dumb kid to be around, but when that annoying kid is Tobedir, it just seemed twice as irritating to Trev. Maybe it was because he knew he was soon going to have to put up with him far more than usual, during their trip.

“I’m not bothering you,” Tobedir protested, frowning a little as he stumbled toward the door against his will. “We both have to finish packing our things.” He reminded his older brother, not understanding what the problem was. He wasn’t saying anything, he was merely gathering up his things to bring along to visit his other grandparents, just like their grandmother had told them to do.

“Well, you’re in my way.” Trev declared, shoving some of his brother’s things away from his own.

“It’s my bed though.” Toby pointed out.

“It was mine first.” Trev reminded him. “Before you came along, I had this whole room to myself.” He huffed.

Toby frowned and kept his gaze focused on his packing, working on the lower bunk that belonged to him. He stole a glance over at his brother, beside him, who was using the foot of Tobedir’s bed to hold his own pack. Why did his brother always seem so annoyed by him? Tobedir tried to get along with Trevadir, but it was as if he had some grudge against him, though he knew not why.

Trevadir glanced up and saw Tobedir watching him. “What?” He scowled. “Haven’t you got anything better to do than stare at me? Pack your own things, and leave me alone.” He stuffed a shirt into his pack, deep in thought. How could he get through an entire week with this kid? It was nice enough, going to visit their grandparents in Lond Col, but it would be a whole lot better if he didn’t have to have Tobedir along with him. Maybe he didn’t have to put up with him. Maybe, if he got really lucky, Toby would end up finding other things to do and leave Trev alone. Maybe he’d spend a lot of time with his friend, Iuldir.

That reminded Trev that he was going to have to leave his own friends. His heart sank as that thought came to mind again. It was bad enough most years, just being away from the close-knit group of friends. But this year… everything was a mess. Ryn had died. Cali was broken; it was a struggle just to get her to even talk to anyone anymore, and all she ever did anymore was sit there, minding her father’s shop while he worked in the forge. Iole was all caught up with her planning to begin a healer apprenticeship. And now, Nal had gone off and joined the rangers, too. Trev felt a bit alone, being still too young (according to his grandmother) to get a job like his friends were, and there wasn't much else to do. And, after what Nal had told him about his own terrible ‘adventure’ months ago had left an impression, Trev couldn’t help but feel a nagging little concern. What if Trev came back to find that something terrible had happened to Nal, too?

The very thought of it upset him. Trev shoved the last of his stuff into his pack, scowling as he wrestled with making the pack stay closed. And what about Cali? She hadn’t been the same since… since Ryn. Trev swallowed, suddenly feeling that he must get out of here before he got emotional or something. He pushed his stuff off to the side and started for the door.

“Trev, where are you going?” Toby asked, confused.

“Out.” Trev retorted, without explanation.

“But it’s almost suppertime, and we still have to finish packing.” Toby protested, following him to the door of their bedroom. “Grammy says we only just have time to eat, and then we have to go.”

“Shhh,” Trev rounded on him, fearing his brother’s noisy whining would alert their grandmother to the fact he was leaving. “I’ll be right back. And I’m done packing, anyway.” he insisted, hoping to stop him asking any more questions. He pushed Toby back into the bedroom, closed the door, and rolled his eyes as he turned to go on about his way. They’d have enough time to sit down and have supper before the brothers set off on the evening ferry, so he had to make his goodbyes swift. He knew their grandmother was in the kitchen, cooking, but it would still be a few minutes. He hurried for the front door, slipping out before she saw him leave.

Not knowing for sure where he could find Nal, Trev set off for the second circle, figuring he’d start with Cali. He wanted to at least say goodbye to her before he and Toby left. Even if she didn’t reply back or anything.

---

Flashback - About 5.5 years ago
Trevadir & Amy
A park in the 2nd circle

Since he was running short on time, Trev was running to find his friends. He took a shortcut through the park, paying no attention to the puddles splashing out underfoot as he ran, covering his legs in muddy water. His grandma would probably scold him when he came home. But he didn’t care at the moment. He might have to go all the way up to the sixth to find Nal and Iole, so he needed to hurry!

Cali's home was closest, though, so he was planning to start there. He sloshed straight through a big puddle in the park, not bothering to go around, or even slow his pace. Until an unusual sight ahead caught his eye. For a split second, he thought someone had added a strange new statue to the fountain in the middle of the park, but as he did a doubletake, he suddenly drew to a stop when he realized that it was a young woman, sitting there on the edge of the fountain. The hood of her grey cloak was drawn up over her face, but she sat, still as a statue, heedless of the rain. That.. didn’t seem normal.

Trev frowned, glancing around, aware of the fact he only had so much time before Grandma would notice him being gone. Trev debated for a few seconds before walking over. “Uh, miss?” He spoke cautiously, trying to take a peek under her hood to see if she looked alright. “Uh.. are you alright?”

The voice stirred her out of her trance-like state. Amy blinked, looking up slowly. Alright? She bit her lip, blinked a few times, then gave a little shake of her head. “No, not really.” She answered softly.

Trev frowned. “Oh..” He wasn’t really sure what he’d expected to hear, but now he wasn’t sure what to do or say in reply. After a slightly awkward pause, he tried spoke again. “Um. I’m sorry. Is there something I can do to help?” He asked, feeling bad when he noticed tears on her face. Either that, or it was rain, but tears fit better with the sorrow in her expression. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out a crumpled handkerchief and offered it to her. “It should be clean,” He assured her, though he wasn’t entirely certain of that. He couldn’t remember how long it’d been in his pocket, after all.

Amy managed a sad smile and accepted, trying to smooth it out before wiping the tears from her face. “I don’t know if anyone can help.” She sighed.

Trev frowned and took a seat on the fountain beside her, a little awkward about this. He didn’t know her, but he also recognized the same sort of broken-heartedness that he’d seen far too often, lately. Like Cali. “What’s wrong?”

Amy glanced at the young man. She didn’t know him, but he seemed sincere in his concern. She let out a sigh and toyed with the damp handkerchief in her hands. There was a T embroidered on the corner, she noticed. “My fiancé,” She answered softly, then glanced at him. “He’s gone missing. No one’s been able to find out anything.” She dabbed at her eyes again. “And I can’t even go looking for him, because I can’t leave my mother and sister.” She sighed heavily.

Trev frowned. “Missing?” He glanced around, aware of the rain steadily coming down around them. He looked back at the girl. “Well.. I happen to have a friend who’s a ranger?” He mentioned. “Maybe.. he could help?”

Amy hesitated a bit before looking at him again. “I don’t know. I mean... my fiancé's father was a ranger, once. He already spent a lot of time searching for him, along with another man who’s also a ranger. And they couldn’t find him.” She wiped her eyes again. “I’ve already told the guards everything I can, and it just.. they think he’s just run off and abandoned his job.” She sighed. “But he wouldn’t do that. Even his own family is worried about him. That doesn’t make any sense, does it? A man doesn’t just leave everything and not even tell his family, or his fiancé, where he is, right?”

Trev hesitated, shifting a little uncomfortably. His own father had done something like that. But, he also figured his father must have had some important voyage to make and was just too upset over losing his wife, to think of telling his family goodbye. That was what Trev kept telling himself. “Well, when was the last time you saw him? Did he say anything.. I don’t know.. useful? I mean, about where he might be going?” Trev asked, hesitating about how to go about this.

Amy gave a sad little smile and a bitter laugh. “The last time I saw him, we were right here,” She indicated the fountain. “He asked me to marry him. And then, a messenger showed up delivering reassignment orders, and he had to leave in a big hurry.”

Trev gave her a questioning look. "Reassignment?"

“Oh, he’s a guard here in the city,” Amy explained. “Or at least, he was… He got orders sending him off to guard one of the beacons. Dol Brannor. But then.. he apparently never made it there. He just.. vanished, en route.” She dropped her face down in her hands, sighing. “His best friend went looking for him after we became aware that something was wrong, but it was days later by then. He found his horse roaming around, but not my fiancé.” She sighed. “It’s all so.. strange and confusing. The captain here says he never signed that reassignment order..” She sighed, frustrated. “I want to go look for him myself, but.. my mother’s sick and my little sister needs me..” She sniffled.

Trev frowned thoughtfully. This was reminding him far too much of Cali’s current heartbreak. And for that matter, he himself had recently shut himself up in the treehouse and refused to come down, so he understood the sort of hurt she must be enduring. “I.. can’t make any guarantees, but I’ll talk to my ranger friend, and see if maybe he can get the rest of the rangers looking into it?” Trev suggested tentatively. Sure, Nal was just a recruit and had only been there for a short time, but maybe he could tell someone, and get more rangers looking into it. They all knew what it was like when someone you care about was in danger, as they all knew now. After Nal’s misadventures…

Amy glanced at him with a sad smile. “I don’t know how much it could help. Like I said, there were already two experienced rangers searching, and they came up with nothing. But.. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to ask for more people to look..” She looked at him. “Thank you.”

“Sure.” Trev offered a friendly smile back. “Now.. maybe you ought to get out of the rain? You don’t want to end up getting sick, too. Then who’d take care of your mother and sister?”

Amy gave a little sigh, glancing around. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” She agreed, nodding. She offered his handkerchief back. “Thank you.” She added, truly appreciating his kindness.

“You're welcome.” He answered, smiling as he stood up with her, stuffing the handkerchief in his pocket again. “I’ll definitely mention this to my friend, and see if we can’t figure out what happened to your fiancé.” He paused, wanting to offer some sort of reassuring words, but he couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t sound dumb or empty. “I hope they can find him.” He said instead, figuring that would be more sincere than telling her not to worry.

Amy drew a shaky breath, nodding. “Me too. Thank you. I.. I appreciate you stopping. That was very kind of you.” She didn’t realize how much she’d wanted to talk to someone, until now. She smiled faintly. "Bye." Wrapping her arms around herself, she set off toward home, trying her best to feel hopeful after talking with that nice young man.

Trev sighed as he watched her go, then shook his head. Well... he hadn't meant to have such a delay, but maybe it was worth it. Hopefully, he still had time for his goodbyes. Hastening onward once again, Trev hurried on toward the blacksmith shop, which he’d decided should be his first stop.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Tercen
Fifth Circle, Ava's house
Dec 27th - Afternoon

Intrude? Tercen frowned. Why would she intrude? "No, you wouldn't be intruding. She already knew I might ask you to come along, and she didn't object or anything. And you say you left on good terms, so she'll assume you are coming, now." Not to mention the fact Arnyn seemed to realize how invested I was before I did, myself.

He moved back to the bench, to take a seat while pulling on his boots. "When I take her out, it's not like we're glued to each other, anyway. She dances with a few other people, and so do I. And when there was... uh..." He paused his words while putting on his second boot, realizing it wasn't a wise move to mention other women. "I just mean, I never exclusively dance with her, when we go. So it's not a problem." Rising back to his feet, a bit of a rogueish grin mastered his features before he slid a hand around Ava's back and caught her hand with the other, pulling her gently into a close dancing pose. "Don't tease, Temptress. Just say yes. You know you want to."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Ava
Fifth Circle, Ava's house
Dec 27th - Afternoon

Listening as he assured her that his sister would have no objection, she couldn't help a grin when he so clearly came close to mentioning what Ava believed was going to be a past girlfriend or something. It wasn't as if it was much of a secret that he'd dated other women before, but her grin changed to a softer smile as she recalled Arnyn mentioning that he had never invited any of them to come to his home, before.

As he pulled her smoothly into a dancing pose, her smile broadened again as she looked up at him, enjoying their closeness. "Well, if you insist." She agreed with teasing amusement, and didn't sound as if she were too reluctant, either. She brought a hand up to caress the side of his face, smiling at him. "I'd love to." She added more sincerely.

"You'll have to let me know when," She added, then with a sly little smile, added, "and, perhaps help me choose what to wear?" She leaned in closer as she slid her arms around his shoulders. "I'd hate to be over- or under-dressed, as I don't know the sort of place you have in mind." She pointed out a very logical argument for getting his help, then smiled at him innocently.

Her stomach then reminded her she had only had a very light breakfast before working out, and she grinned slightly before stepping back from him, lest she get too distracted. "Would you like to go out somewhere to eat, or stay here?" She asked, then looked a bit surprised when he suggested that he might cook for her, if her cook didn't mind. "I don't see why she would mind," Ava answered thoughtfully, giving him a little smile, curious about his cooking skills. "She gets paid by the day." She added with a little shrug as they started downstairs together.


As expected, Shiarra had no objections to getting to simply relax while someone else did the work she was paid for, and happily agreed to go and relax in another room while Tercen took over the kitchen for a bit.

With a big grin nearly matching his, when he asked her "Do you have an apron, or do I need to take my shirt off?", Ava took a look around the kitchen before locating a rather frilly, clearly feminine apron and smiled innocently as she offered him that one, only to break into a laugh at his response. After appearing to consider his suggestion, she decided it would probably not be a good idea, and tossed the apron aside with an apologetic smile. "I suppose we ought to be at least somewhat considerate of the servants," She explained with amusement, since any of them could walk in.

Laughing when he lifted her onto the counter, Ava then watched curiously with lingering amusement as he proceeded to begin cooking something, occasionally offering her little bites or samples as he went, enjoyed a lot of laughter and funny moments while he worked. Despite him getting rather distracted by her on multiple occasions whilst cooking, they finally sat down to eat once it was done, and Ava was very impressed by how good his cooking turned out. The rest of the afternoon gradually faded away into evening as they spent the rest of the day together, letting all the unpleasant thoughts melt away while focusing enjoying on the time they had together.


(interactions here are a collaboration between writers, as discussed in ooc chat)

[Arnyn]

|
Macardil | Arnyn
Himhathol residence, Fifth Circle - Early December

"Reilly Veranis is the son of Halberion Veranis," Macardil explained. "He was a close friend of mine, before he died."

"I'm sorry to hear he died," Arnyn said quietly.

"Yes. To this day, I am sorry for that, as well. Halberion asked me to take up the mantle of looking after his children, should he and his wife ever be unable to. Only Reilly, his oldest, disappeared before the rest of the family passed away in a fire at their estate."

Arnyn wasn't quite sure what to say about that. Luckily, Macardil continued without needing a new prompt.

"When Reilly was transferred to Minas Tirith from Pelargir, I was once again rangering in Ithilien. We did spend time together, when I was in the City. I loved that boy. It worried me greatly when the Guard wanted to speak with me about Reilly no longer appearing at headquarters. Or anywhere else, for that matter. That was not at all like him. I had never heard him even so much as saying anything negative about his experience with training or the Guard as a whole - I saw, and still see, no reason why he would choose to abandon his posting. You have clearly read that report, so it seems useless to repeat much of it now." Even if it was engrained into his memory. "After that, I sent word to Halberion. The Guard did the same. When my friend arrived, he tracked down the lady Reilly had proposed to."

"Amethyst Nerennia," Arnyn filled in with a small nod.

"An apprentice at the Houses of Healing, yes, if I remember correctly? She insisted that Reilly had received official orders ordering his transfer from Minas Tirith to Dol Brannor. That he had to leave forthwith, in order to arrive when he was needed. However, the Captain of the Guard also assured Hal that there had been no such transfer order."

"It was not in the records, no," Arnyn confirmed.

"Well. At least they did not lie, then."

Arnyn frowned. "Did you think the Guard was lying?"

Macardil's eyes narrowed. "No, I did not assume or think so. You can imagine, though, how peculiar a story it was for us. Reilly was content to be in the Guard. Eager to learn. Eager to contribute to the war effort against the Enemy. His betrothed swears Reilly received orders when they were together. The Captain swears there was no such order. What were Hal and I to believe?"

"Do we know that this young lady was definitely telling the truth?" Arnyn asked Macardil thoughtfully. Even if the papers Eryn had found, were telling... She was still curious for Macardil's take on the matter.

"In the end, we believed her," Macardil said, his tone measured. "She told us Reilly was planning on taking the ferry from Harlond to Linhir, and was then going to travel on horseback to the beacon. She told us the date. She also told us that Reilly's roommate had already gone looking for him, and had returned with Reilly's horse, but not with Reilly. That... that really worried Hal." His eyes lowered to the coffee table. "Hal and I checked with the ferry captain, and Reilly and his horse did board the ship on the date Miss Nerennia gave us. Thus, we also boarded the ferry from Harlond to Linhir. We spoke to the ferry staff, and several of them told us they had seen someone with Reilly's description on board, dozing off most of the way."

"No one we managed to speak to in Linhir remembered him, however. We did find some tracks going from the road from Linhir toward the beacon. Before you ask - we could tell the tracks were Reilly's horse's, since the horse had a specific symbol in one of its shoes, which showed on in the tracks. However, the tracks had faded, in part, and had also been trampled, in part. We found no indication of what might have happened to Reilly. It took us a while... to convince ourselves we could make nothing more of it all. We continued on to the beacon, but the guardsman there was not in need of being relieved, nor did he himself know of any transfer or replacement orders. We returned to the tracks... combed out quite a large area, in fact."

"But nothing?" Arnyn supplied.

"Nothing. And now, six years later, you show up at my doorstep to tell me that his roommate, who is already under investigation for different matters, or possibly his twin, may be responsible for his disappearance. That is what you are saying, correct?"

"It is. Given your relation to Reilly Veranis, I also want you to know there is a different witness, who claims she has seen transfer requests for Aderic Androllius and a transfer order for Reilly. Those made in Androllius' name were all unsigned by the Captain, but Reilly's held the man's signature. This witness came upon these papers this year - a few months ago. I am sorry, Macardil, that I cannot offer more clarity."

"When you first mentioned him, for a moment - I thought there might be news," he admitted slowly. "You came to obtain information, alas. Not bestow it. Though I will admit that the little news you did offer, has not proven very comforting. Perhaps it is a good thing you did not have much to tell."

"Perhaps it is," she allowed. "If my instincts are correct, there is very little to no chance that Reilly Veranis still lives."

"There was already little or no chance, of that," Macardil said quietly. "That - has not changed with this visit."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Fourth Circle, Arnyn's house
December 28th, evening --> December 29th

She frowned at the cup of tea, and let out a long breath through a pursed set of lips. Still debating. Last night had been terrible, there was no denying that. She'd felt pretty bad today still, especially in the early morning. Her vision had been blurry, her movements slower, her body weaker. She hadn't been able to keep her breakfast down. Her head had been pounding worse than she'd ever known it to, before. She had dozed off in the communal baths of the female barracks wing. She hadn't even been able to give Narsule a proper stretch of the legs. And she'd slept the rest of the morning away, barely making it in time for her afternoon shift at headquarters.

Was she really going to do this again? Even if she had read plenty on the subject. Even if trying to take small doses of certain poisons did have the potential of making you immune to its deadly effects. Deadly nightshade was one of them. Arnyn had verified it. She'd have to be careful, of course. And the first week or so would be the most 'challenging', or so the physician's journal had claimed. Apparently, the second day was usually the worst. The physician had assumed the reason was because the body is still not at all used to the toxins, and because the second dose does compound with the first - to some degree.

Arnyn assessed the cup with a thoughtful frown. There was hardly anything on her schedule, tomorrow. Taras had been informed they would not be training together in the morning. She had been able to clear her day of duties entirely, even. The only thing she really wanted to be able to do, was go out for a ride with Narsule - to make up for today. And to go out in the evening.

It was evening, now. And she did feel remarkably better. Most - or perhaps all - of the poison must have left her system by now. So... she would be feeling alright by the time she would have to leave in the evening tomorrow, right? And she had... cut back on the dosage. A little. Just to be safe. Not too much, however. Because if she was going to continue doing this, she would have to feel much better by the time they set out for Abrazimir's warship.

Arnyn leaned back, settling into the couch cushions. The vapour rising from the hot tea swirled into the air above the coffee table. She would be hard pressed to find a better day to fit this second and thus 'worst' day into. If nothing else, that alone decided it.

Later that evening

The light in the room hadn't gotten any brighter. If anything, the candles were burning lower. Yet she found herself blowing out several of them, just to dim the room. When she tried to put away her drawing supplies, and went to wash the charcoal off her hands, it was almost as if her hands were numb with cold. What was worrisome, of course, was that cold had nothing to do with it.

At least she wasn't emptying her bowels. Yet - part of her mind added drily. Slowly, Arnyn got ready for bed, hoping she could actually sleep. Before crawling under the blankets, she made sure she had her supply of antidote within hand's reach. Just...in case. The worst symptoms were partial or complete paralysis, hallucinations and convulsions. If any of those came on, she had to eat one or several of those beans. Not that she was expecting any of those side effects, not with the small dose she'd taken yesterday, nor with the even lower dose she had taken earlier this evening. But it would be utter madness not to prepare for the eventuality.

She had to watch her hands pulling the covers up to her shoulders, because she couldn't rely on touch alone, before blowing out the last candle. If only the headache would wait - until she had fallen asleep. Then she might actually get some shut-eye tonight.

Later that night

A knife was jabbed into her stomach. Or that's what it felt like. Lying on her side, her knees jerked up and her hands flew to her belly. She groaned through the pain, and only after it had faded, she realized she was sweating as if she were lying under her winter blankets in the summer month of Cermië. She pushed her blankets down, but soon found herself shivering in the cold night air of her bedroom. Sweating and shivering. As if she had a fever, she dimly realized. Who knew, right? Perhaps she did? The pain in her stomach flared up again, and she curled tighter into herself. If it helped, it did not help much. After spending over half an hour trying to deal with this, and somehow try and fall back asleep, Arnyn left her bedroom in search of water. Her throat felt drier than the Harad desert, and that wasn't helping her fall asleep.

The water did seem to help with the stomach ache, and she was no longer cold, although she was still sweating. In addition, she felt restless. And so she lit a bunch of candles and started doing chores around the house. She emptied all the bins. She dusted. She swept the floors. She changed her bed sheets and dumped the clammy ones into a laundry bin, before washing her hair and herself and crawling back into bed. Just before first light was ready to creep around the edges of the curtains, there was a knock at her door. A very unexpected, and unwanted, knock...

Noon

Once she'd made it back home somewhere in the morning, she'd slept through the rest of it, waking up off and on. Around noon, she stumbled out of bed, and pinned up her hair into two tight buns, so she would hardly have to do anything to it that evening other than letting it down. She squinted against the light of day that violently greeted her upon opening her bedroom door. Arnyn retrieved more water,, which was challenging since her vision had gone blurry again. Perhaps it was the adjustment from the dark to the light that brought on that symptom? It had been a similar situation in the armoury, the day before, hadn't it?

She unwillingly had half a slice of bread - with nothing on it. She'd start with that. After waiting a while, that seemed to stay down, so she ate an apple. It was the best apple she'd ever had. She was just that hungry, by now, after not being able to keep anything down the night and day before, either.

Unfortunately, the apple wanted out. And Arnyn was unable to keep it in. After that, she crawled back into bed. Perhaps some more sleep would... improve things.

Sometime in the afternoon

Arnyn dragged herself out of bed, dressed and left the house.
A few hours later, she returned. Shivering. The meeting at headquarters with Pele and Karis was behind her. Narsule had gotten his exercise. But Arnyn had done herself no favours.

She filled her tub. Scrubbed herself clean again. And soaked in the warmth of the water, though she made sure she did not get her pinned up hair wet. When the water had gone cold, she realized the hours were slipping through her fingers like sand. She had more water and some crackers, deciding not to risk anything else. Finally, she assessed her closet, looking for a suitable set of clothes. To go out dancing... a dress. It was winter, and even though the dress she'd worn to Ava's had been sleeveless, she'd prefer something long-sleeved this time. Arnyn eyed what she had available. She had collected quite a few dresses over the years. Even if she had only worn most of them once or twice. But most of them were on the fancier side, for balls and parties - and she only had a few more low-key options. The tavern Tercen had mentioned was having a dance night, so people would be dressing a bit fancier than they usually might to go there, but it still would be a far cry away from anything like a military or midwinter ball.

Settling on a long-sleeved dress in her favourite shade of blue, she slowly got dressed. Her fingers traced the silver embroidery at the sleeves, and she frowned a little as she wondered whether the silver trim and small light-reflecting beads at the neckline were too much. She was probably overthinking it, she decided, and moved to the mirror to take down her hair. Her lips parted a little when her eyes fell on the base of her neck, and the scars from Relic's wolf bite. That... she had forgotten about. She glanced at her closet, but already knew she had no dress with a neckline that would cover the scarring. Biting down on her lip, she frowned at herself in the mirror. It wasn't that she was ashamed or embarrassed of it. But... Arnyn sighed, rubbing her temple. What could she do about this? She didn't even have some crazy kind of necklace that would cover it up. Even if she did, a choker necklace wouldn't quite work, because the scarring was too low. She tried to think on some other options while she removed the pins from her buns. Her hair fell down in soft curls, and she smiled faintly as she pinned a few strands back up, while leaving most of her light golden hair down. At least this had worked out...

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
Arriving at Arnyn's house - 4th circle
Dec 29th, evening

The evening was chilly, and Gladhron didn't really mind. He hardly noticed the cold as he made his way through the streets toward the fourth circle. He was nervous, but trying not to let on. He'd spent a bit of time preparing for tonight, and he looked nice and neat, and his clothes were new. He'd gone with a blue shirt and dark pants, along the lines of what Tercen had suggested. He'd been a bit surprised that he didn't know his sister had 'invited' Gladhron along, but fortunately, the other guy had no problem with it, although he had been quite surprised to learn that she invited him.

He had spent a while debating about whether to bring her any flowers or not. Would it be too.. obvious? Or would it simply seem like a sweet gesture from a friend, that she would appreciate? While he had spoken to Tercen for some advice on how dressed-up he ought to be for this, he hadn't felt quite comfortable asking about his thoughts on flowers. Gladhron had gone back and forth about it all afternoon. Now, here he was, taking a deep breath as he approached the door. After what Tercen said concerning Arnyn and her lack of interest in romance, Gladhron had eventually gone to Brooke, who seemed to him like an expert on 'not being interested in romance', to ask her what she might think if a young man offered her a flower. And therefore, had decided that it might make things awkward if Arnyn felt that he was too eager for this to seem like a date. Even if he did want it to be, he didn't want to make it into something she didn't want it to be, either.

He stepped up onto the porch and knocked, while hoping he wasn't too early or anything. He hadn't been sure how long it would take to get to her house, so he'd left a little earlier than he probably needed to, and now he suddenly worried that he might interrupt her while she was getting ready.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Fourth Circle, her house
December 29th, evening

She heard the knock pretty well, even with her sitting upstairs in her room. The door was open, and the house was perfectly silent, after all. Arnyn blinked. Tercen? But last time she had checked with him, he had asked if it was alright if he met her at the tavern, instead of at her house? Thinking about Tercen also made her eyes go back to the scar at the base of her neck. It would be best if he did not see. He had been upset with her for the whole thing. He did not need a visual reminder of it.. and she didn't need his reaction to that reminder, either.

But even if it wasn't Tercen - there was someone at the door. She pulled her long hair forward, freeing a strand or two from the necklace she always wore, and laid it over the shoulder on the side the scar was on. The tumble of her hair hid the evidence pretty well, she decided, especially for lack of inspiration for a better option. She needed to go open the door.

Arnyn quickly stepped out of her room, rushing down the stairs on feet that were still bare. By the time she got to the bottom of the stairs, she had to take a moment. The lingering effects of the poison were making her head spin, and she also felt warm again - which translated into a blush on her cheeks. She had probably gotten up too soon, and with not having eaten much the past few days... Her head was still off balance a little, though she hid it well as she opened the door. With one hand on the doorknob, and the other on the wall next to it, she could be sure she wouldn't be thrown off-kilter.

It took her a second to realize who it was, and for her dilated pupils to focus on the person on the other side of the door. "Gladhron?" She hadn't expected him to come here? "Oh," she added then, with an apologetic smile. "I didn't tell you where the tavern is," she spoke her realization out loud. "I'm sorry. Come in." She stepped back, letting go of her anchors. "I'm basically ready... I just, uh..." Her head tried to shift her off balance now she wasn't holding onto anything, and Arnyn fell silent momentarily so she could focus. She was successful, and her smile grew. "I need socks," she explained, the unexpected statement coming out a bit comical as she drew attention to her complete lack of footwear underneath the rest of her finished attire.

"Just a moment." Quickly, she headed back up the stairs, one hand on the bannister, the other lifting the skirt of her dress. Soon enough she came back downstairs - more slowly, this time, not wanting to invite any accidents, and now wearing not only socks but also shoes. "There," she grinned, lifting her arms out to the side a little, as if she were ready to make fun of how she looked. "Acceptable?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Tercen
Fifth Circle, Ava's house
December 29th, evening

He was a bit early, but Arnyn had told him once that to be on time, you techncially had to be early. Ava had some similarities with his sister, so maybe she'd appreciate this, too?

While he had told Gladhron that the guys could get away with most of anything, clothing-wise, Tercen had to admit... he had gone back to the store where Ava had purchased a suitcase worth of dresses. For a new, black shirt. And a long-sleeved, deep green vest with golden trim. Even though he could have definitely gotten away with less effort, he just wanted to look his best. For her. His long hair was loose, a bit ruffled by the wind, over his dark winter cloak. "Good evening," Tercen bid Edwyrd amiably, as the man let him in. Tercen took off his own cloak with one hand, handing it to Edwyrd with a little grin as the man glanced at the rose in Tercen's other hand. He was professional enough not even raise a silent eyebrow.

"Lady Ava is in her chambers," Edwyrd said. "The lady said you were welcome to join her, wherever she was, when you arrived."

"Thank youuu!" Tercen tossed over his shoulder, already on his way to the stairs. He ascended two steps at a time, whistling a little tune. Before he got to Ava's room, he ran a hand through his hair, straightened his vest, and then knocked. He kept the single red flower at the ready. "Temptress?" he asked, speaking through the door. "Can I come in?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
Arriving at Arnyn's house - 4th circle
Dec 29th, evening

He waited for a little while, listening. He heard no sound within, and began to grow concerned. Had he come too late, and they'd already left? Perhaps they had set off for the Wayfarer to come get him, because he hadn't had a chance to tell her about the group's change in location yet. Or, perhaps, not realizing he didn't know where to go, they had just went on, assuming he would meet them there... but no, he had told Tercen...

Then, to his relief, Gladhron thought heard a soft noise of hurriedly approaching feet. Soon after, the door opened. Seeing Celume standing there, in the lovely blue dress, Gladhron was briefly left speechless at how pretty she looked. Even with her face a little flushed from hurrying to the door, she looked amazing. He smiled at her, swiftly recovering. He was very pleased to note that her dress was almost the same shade of blue as the doublet he had worn. Mentally, he thanked Gil for his aid in selecting his clothing for the evening, although he did hope he hadn't ended up being dressed dressier than Tercen had suggested.

As he recovered from noticing how incredible Celume looked, he noticed that she appeared confused for a moment before remembering that she had failed to tell him where the place was. "Right." He agreed with her realization, with a sheepish grin. "I guess I must've forgotten to ask." Well, that wasn't technically true, for he had deliberately not asked where it was, so he would have no choice but to meet her here so they could walk there together. But he didn't think it would be well-received if he told her that.

Stepping inside once she invited him to, Gladhron gave a little grin when she mentioned needing socks. "Sorry if I'm a bit early," he apologized. "I didn't have as far to come as I thought I would, so... yeah, I'll just wait here." He informed her once she set off to remedy her foot situation. He stepped into the living room while she hurried upstairs to finish getting ready. This time, making sure not to go wandering. He did not think she would appreciate that. He took a seat at the edge of an armchair while he waited.
 
When she returned a few minutes later, he stood up and smiled admiringly when she asked for an opinion of how she looked, though in a silly sort of way. "You are definitely more than 'acceptable'," he assured her, grinning. He shook his head slightly. "You look.. amazing, actually. I mean it." Then, picking up on her silly sort of mannerisms, as if she wanted to disguise any possible awkwardness, Gladhron did the same and bowed a bit over-dramatically before offering his arm to her with a little grin. "I assume Tercen has gone to get his lady, so may I have the honor of escorting you, my lady?" He asked in an equally silly tone. "As long as you don't mind taking the lead." He added with a laugh, as if referring to dancing, while he was actually referring to leading the way to wherever they would be going. Before they would leave her house, however, he would help her with her outerwear, whether she had a cloak or coat.

---

Ava
Ava's house - 5th circle

When she'd arrived in town, Ava had of course brought a few things to wear, and had also sent servants out to buy her some of the things that were fashionable, so that she wouldn't stand out while she was here. But she had also not anticipated needing much more than possibly one extra 'fancy' dress. Not counting the one for the masquerade, of course, which she'd had made specially for her, long before she ever left home. But she doubted there would be very many events matching that in fanciness, therefore, when Tercen suggested taking her (and Arnyn) dancing, she naturally needed another dress. The one she had worn for the dinner at home was nice, but she had already worn it. Even though only they two had seen it, she couldn't just reuse it for another occasion, so soon after!

After taking some time to go shopping for another dress, Ava had narrowed her selections down to about ten. And then, managed to convince herself that she didn't need another three of them. Yet, she didn't know whether there might be any other occasions to come up, and so she had kept the ones that both she, and Tercen, had liked best.

After she had spent the early afternoon doing her usual routine, working out and practicing a few things on the bars, silks, and beams, Ava spent nearly as much time in cleaning up. She had enjoyed a nice long bath with perfumed soap and bath oils and all the luxurious extra bathing things that she had brought with her. Once she'd dried off and went to her closet, she began to get dressed.

By the time she heard his whistling as he came up the stairs, Ava was wearing the dress that he had seemed to like the most; a flowing, green, off-the-shoulder dress with a lighter green gore at the side, for a bit of color contrast. She smiled, hearing the whistling that preceded his arrival, and took a look in the full-length mirror before she exited from her closet/dressing room. "Come in!" She called, while on her way into the room. She paused near the foot of the bed, off to one side, and stood so that she ought to be the first thing his gaze would fall on when he entered. She smiled as she waited to see how he looked, and also to see what he would think of her own choice in attire.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Fourth Circle, her house
December 29th, evening

Her grin grew a little when he replied she was 'definitely more than acceptable'. Before she could jest back how that was a relief, Gladhron added she looked amazing. Arnyn sceptically glanced down at her blue dress, as if to verify whether she really did live up to the compliment. "I don't know about that," she said with a little smile, when she looked back up. Especially considering that she did not physically feel all that great. "But you're very kind to say so."

When he bowed and offered his arm in that over-the-top manner, her smile grew into a grin and she laughed quietly. An anchor point would be good, actually. So this was perfect. "You may!" she declared, matching his silly tone and manner as she accepted his arm, while actually being really grateful she could hold onto something. It wasn't that she felt like she would fall over any moment or anything - but with the way that sudden kind of dizziness was apparently manifesting itself, it was definitely a good idea. Maybe then she could fake her way right through it, since she would have Gladhron's arm to guide her along. "If you don't mind me taking that lead," she teased, though she didn't expect any kind of protest given he obviously realized he sort of had to let her do so, since he had no idea which tavern they were going to.

They walked back to the entrance to the house, but when Arnyn moved to take her winter cloak off the peg, she was surprised when Gladhron quickly reached out to it instead and helped her with it. She gave him an amused smile, assuming this was still a continuation of the over-the-top acting. "Why, thank you, sir," she said, while pulling her hair free from under it. She grabbed a small purse that held coin and her key. After they'd stepped outside, she locked her door and then dropped the purse into a hidden pocket of her cloak. She hesitated briefly, wondering if Gladhron was still going to continue the jest and offer her his arm, but when he did, she was relieved.

"What did you mean before, when you said you didn't have to come as far as you thought?" she asked with a curious smile, as she guided them into the direction of the Third Circle, rather than the Fifth. "You have been here before with Tercen, haven't you?"

---

@Rillewen

Tercen
Fifth Circle, Ava's house
December 29th, evening

He was smiling when he opened the door, and even as he stepped in he was already looking to see where she was. His eyes found her immediately, and he paused in his tracks as he took her in. His smile grew into a grin before he walked in further, until he was right there with her. "You," he said quietly but emphatically, "can make the loveliest rose look bland." His grin gentled into something more private. "A modest offering, Temptress," he said, presenting her with the flower. She looked absolutely stunning, and Tercen was not finding it easy at all to refrain from pulling her against him and kissing her.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
Arriving at Arnyn's house - 4th circle
Dec 29th, evening

"I've been told that I never mind," He joked, using a different play on the word 'mind', which he thought she might appreciate, recalling how she had seemed to like word plays like that, back in the north.

After helping her with her cloak, he opened the door for her and then waited while she locked up. Once she had finished, he re-offered his arm with a smile, then set off with her. "Oh, well we've moved out of the inn." He answered her question. "Checked out this morning. Gwandhyra has a relative who's got a house on the fifth level, and when he heard how long we'd be staying, and realizing how much it'd end up costing for us to stay at the inn all that time, he asked if she'd mind letting us all stay with her for while we're here." He explained. "She's just had some other guests leave, and the house is big, so she agreed. It's a lot nicer, not having to share a room with Gwestion." He grinned, imagining his brother would share the same thoughts.

"The lady seems a bit odd, but I don't really know her that well, yet." He mentioned. "Maybe it's just a first impression." He shrugged slightly. "Anyway, we got settled in this morning. We didn't have a lot to move, but Seri said since we already had the rooms for the night we might as well stay and check out in the morning, and that it'd give our host a night to prepare before we invade." He grinned slightly. "It's kinda weird, though," He commented thoughtfully. "There's servants there, so it might take a bit of getting used to." He grinned slightly though, thinking he might not have as hard a time getting used to it as his brother would.

---

Ava
Ava's house - 5th circle

Ava was pleased to see the way his smile brightened into a grin when he caught sight of her. And in turn, she admired how he looked in this new outfit. And he even matched her in colors, she realized. Was that a coincidence, or had he guessed that she would go with this dress? She couldn't be sure, but she was pleased at how it had worked out, anyway.

Her own smile grew at his complimentary words, but when he actually produced a rose from behind his back, she was surprised. Accepting it, she brought it up under her nose, smiling over the top of it at Tercen as she took a sniff of its lovely fragrance. "Well, it certainly isn't bland," She assured him with a grin, then lowered it slightly and stepped closer to him, one hand holding the rose, while the other reached up to his vest, her fingers running along the golden trim with a smile as she looked up at him. "And neither are you," She added with a little grin. Her smile softened then as she raised the rose up again, smiling. "Thank you, Sunshine." She said softly, with a glance at the flower. "Did you know I like roses, or was it a guess?" She wondered, curious as she turned her gaze back to him.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Fourth Circle, her house
December 29th, evening

She smiled at his little pun, but also squeezed his arm a little. "Now, you and I both know that is not true," she said more softly. Raising her eyebrow a little when he said they'd moved out of the inn, and into a house on the Fifth, Arnyn got the growing suspicion he was talking about Isys. Who else could he be talking about, after all? It was possible that Domanol had other relatives in the city, too, but would they have such a large house on the Fifth Circle, let alone one with servants?

"Oh, and you probably mind the servants very much," Arnyn commented, her tone light. "So annoying, having people clean for you, helping to keep things tidy, make you meals, acquire all the necessary groceries..." She tilted her head. "Did they also scrub your back and brush your hair before you stepped out this evening?" she teased with a grin, looking at him.

---

@Rillewen

Tercen
Fifth Circle, Ava's house
December 29th, evening

He smiled, pleased at her complimentand at the way she'd stepped closer. One hand brushed the side of her face, and the other gently moved hers holding the rose off to the side, before he slipped that arm around her and drew her close against him. "A guess," he whispered, before he angled his head down to kiss her deeply. "Hmm," he hummed against her lips, before breaking away. "Too bad we're already dressed," he said with a grin, before slowly letting go of her. "Can I still help you with anything, before we go?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
Arriving at Arnyn's house - 4th circle
Dec 29th, evening

Gladhron laughed at her teasing question. "Actually," he grinned in amusement. "The man servant did offer," He admitted with great amusement, which would explain why he found it so funny that she had asked. "But I told him I was perfectly capable of bathing myself," He snickered. "Although Gwestion seemed to disagree.." He rolled his eyes, smiling. "Anyway, I managed to convince him that I did not need any help in that capacity." He grinned. "Although he was rather helpful in figuring out what to wear." he mentioned, with a little motion to what he had on, after pulling open one edge of his cloak.

"And I don't know what you're talking about, no one has had to clean up after me the entire time I've been there." He assured her, feigning offence at the implication, although he made sure it was in a lighthearted, joking tone. Since they'd only moved in that morning, and he'd spent the afternoon getting himself ready to go out tonight, there hadn't really been any time for him to unpack or anything. There was nothing for anyone to have to clean up, therefore. Or so he believed.

"Gwestion'll probably end up helping the cook, anyway," he mentioned with a little amusement. "There's also a whole room full of books in the house, so that'll keep Brooke busy and she won't have to keep going back and forth to the library." he proceeded to tell her a bit more about the place and some of the people, as they walked.

---

Ava
Ava's house - 5th circle

As he drew her closer and kissed her, Ava leaned against him, enjoying the kiss. She had debated kissing him, a moment ago, but had decided to refrain, so not to tempt him too much. Her hand that rested on his chest slid up to his shoulder and then to the back of his neck as they kissed. When he broke away and grinned, with that comment, Ava grinned back in amusement. "And your sister is probably waiting, too." She reminded him, before leaning in to whisper in his ear, while her hand played lightly with his hair.

Stepping back, she cast a grin toward him when he asked if he could help her with anything. "My shoes?" She suggested, picking up the slippers she'd chosen to wear for the evening. They looked nice, while still being comfortable enough for a lot of dancing. It was the last thing she had to do, as she'd already fixed her hair, leaving it mostly down, with only a little of it held back on the side, pinned with a silk flower that complimented the dress.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Fourth Circle, her house
December 29th, evening

"The man servant," Arnyn repeated, shaking her head a little in disbelief. It was such a strange concept, for people to have servants who did those kinds of things. As her gaze fell on Gladhron's clothes beneath the cloak he briefly pulled open, Arnyn blinked. It seemed like the 'man servant' had gone a bit... well, 'overboard' might be too strong a term, but still. The fancy vest was one thing, but that scarf/sash thing? Just figured - the servant was probably from Belfalas, and quite used to their... pomp. Then again - she'd only caught a glimpse, and she did not want to say anything that might make him feel overdressed.

So, Arnyn offered Gladhron a smile, instead. "Maybe it will be a nice change of pace for you and Gwestion? After all of your time in the wilds?" She tried to keep her tone light, and shot Gladhron a quick grin next. "As long as you don't get too used to all the pampering. Because trying to find some random man servant behind every third tree could get really old, really quickly."

"The house does sound like a great solution, if you and your party are indeed staying through the winter," Arnyn spoke her next thoughts out loud. "The inn would have wound up to be rather expensive. And if you all have your own room, and there is even a library for Brooke... I have to say, Isys' house does sound bigger than I'd figured it to be," she said casually, paying attention whether or not he would agree or offer protest.

They passed the gate to the Third Circle soon enough, where one of the guards did a little double take at not only the long skirts of a dress coming from under the Ranger Lieutenant's cloak, but also at the fact she was holding some guy's arm. They were let through smoothly, however, and by the time they arrived near the tavern where Tercen had asked to meet, Arnyn was feeling a bit better. Perhaps it had been the walk in the cold winter air, but she hadn't had a dizzy spell, hadn't felt nauseated, and didn't feel too warm anymore, either. "There it is," she therefore said with a pleased little smile, slowing her steps. "I wonder if Tercen is here yet. We might be a bit early, but Ava doesn't strike me as a woman who likes to be late," she added to Gladhron. "Have you met her, yet? Ava? Or will this be your first encounter?"

---

@Rillewen

Tercen
Fifth Circle, Ava's house
December 29th, evening

He wanted to reply when she mentioned his sister waiting, when she whispered something into his ear that made him forget all about what he had just been wanting to say. "Right," he agreed, as his imagination threatened to run away with him. He forced himself to take another look at her lovely dress and the way she had done her hair. The nickname Temptress definitely, absolutely, undoubtedly, still applied.

He grinned back at her when she offered him her dainty little shoes. He accepted them and then gestured at the bed. "Take a seat, my lady." He kneeled in front of the bed, unembarrassed, and put her shoes on for her, one by one. He couldn't resist running his hands up her calves while doing so, but managed to refrain from anything else. When he was done, he held out his hand to her. Not that she needed any help to stand from sitting on a bed. But it just felt like the kind of thing to do, around her.

"Shall we, then?" he asked her with a smile. "Arnyn is often a bit early. But...odds are that she will not be waiting for us alone, if she is in fact waiting at all," he divulged. "A friend I made at the masquerade somehow got her to invite him, too. So..." He grinned a little as he twirled Ava around. "We'll have plenty of opportunities to dance, Temptress, without me having to worry about my sister."

Just to be on the safe side, Tercen started out toward the hallway, then. It would definitely be best if he got away from her room. Being in a public place always helped him to keep his manners.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
Arriving at Arnyn's house - 4th circle
Dec 29th, evening

Gladhron grinned a bit at her when she repeated 'man servant'. "There's a proper title for his position, but I don't remember what it was. The guy's name is Gil, though." He added. He hadn't used his name originally, because he figured she would have only said 'who?'.

As for it being a nice change of pace, he smiled. "I guess it might be," He agreed with a shrug. "I don't know. Like I said, we've only been there a few hours. Basically, long enough to bring our things up from the Wayfarer, and get settled into the rooms our host was letting us use, and then.. start getting ready for this," He explained, smiling, then laughed when she warned him not to get used to it. "If we do get too accustomed, maybe we could bring a servant along with us," He joked. "Though, it might make it a little harder to maintain stealth when needed..." He sighed. "Alright, I guess I'll have to give up that idea, then."

He nodded his agreement about the inn. "Yes, that's definitely true. Gwestion was starting to wonder how we were going to afford it after a while," he admitted. "He even suggested we could camp out in the Pelennor or something," he laughed. "Though I told him we surely wouldn't have to resort to that, it was very nice to have this offer come to us." He paused then, glancing at her. "You know the lady in question, then." he realized, recalling that he had not mentioned her name, and yet Celume had.

He noticed the way the guards took a second glance when they approached, but pretended not to. He smiled as they walked through the gates, approaching the tavern. "No, I haven't," He answered her question. "I've heard about her, of course. Tercen talks about her a lot, but I haven't met her." He added. "Have you?"

---

Ava
Ava's house - 5th circle

Ava grinned and took a seat at the edge of the bed, then raised up one foot, watching him with a little smile as he slid the first shoe onto her foot, then switched to the other foot. As she stood again, she held onto his hand and tested how the shoes felt. They seemed fine.

"Ah, the same friend you've mentioned before?" She asked him with a grin as she recalled him mentioning something about a friend who liked his sister, then she laughed as he twirled her. The shoes were perfect for dancing, she decided, quite glad she had found them. "Yes, we shall." She replied with amusement, taking his arm as they started out into the hall and down the stairs, still carrying the rose, since she did not have a vase around, upstairs.

At the door, Edwyrd was waiting with both Tercen's cloak and Ava's coat, having anticipated that she would prefer the long, teal coat she had worn to go touring the city with Tercen, since the color matched her dress well enough.

"Thank you, Edwyrd," Ava said, smiling as she approached with Tercen. "Will you see that my rose is put in water?" She requested with a little smile as she held it up.

"Of course, my lady." he assured her. He turned and picked up a vase he had already prepared, when Tercen had gone upstairs to get Ava.

Ava smiled as she entrusted the rose to him. "I'd like it placed on my bedside table." She decided. After a moment's pause, she added, "Please."

Edwyrd nodded and set it aside for now. "I will see that it is done, my lady." He assured her. While he would normally help her with her coat, the butler gave Tercen a chance to do so, first, as he guessed he probably would. Once both were wrapped in their outer layers, Ava took Tercen's arm again with a smile. "Shall we?" She asked, eager to get going to this place for dancing.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Fourth Circle, her house
December 29th, evening

"It's also a bit hard to draw you a bath in the woods," she grinned. "Maybe the servant wouldn't feel their job was very fulfilling, just getting to shove you into a stream every few days." She laughed briefly, for depending on the circumstances, she for one would find that very amusing.

Gladhron confirmed her guess, and Arnyn's grin faded as she nodded. "Yes, I do. Lady Isys is a former Swan Knight, and a Ranger here now. She is a skilled Ehtyar and has proven her worth many times over. She has made you and the others a generous offer, too, with this." She glanced sideways at Gladhron. "If you were not considering it already, you may do well to try and thank her in some way other than words," she suggested gently. "Some kind of gesture," she clarified, since she obviously did not mean that they should pay her.

When he spoke about camping in the Pelennor, Arnyn snickered. "I do have two spare rooms at my house, if I put some stuff away first." The drawings. "Once Tercen leaves for Ithilien, that is." She rolled her eyes. "Not that he is spending much time at my place, as it is. But my two rooms would not be able to accommodate all of you, and the rest of the house would also be a bit small for that many people. Otherwise, if you'd said something..." She shrugged. "Anyway, you have a much better solution now. Back scrubbers included, and all," she added, amused.

Concerning Ava, Arnyn held back a sigh. "Yes, I have," she began, unsure of how to continue. "She's intelligent. And beautiful." And many other things. "It's no wonder she has Tercen so smitten with her. You will see soon enough, when they get here." Near the front door, she halted, and let go of Gladhron's arm. "Should we wait for them a minute, outside? Or go in already and find a table?" It was cold, but she honestly did not mind. It was keeping her head steady, or so it seemed.

---

@Rillewen

Tercen
Fifth Circle, Ava's house
December 29th, evening

"The very same," he confirmed about his friend, as they walked down the stairs. "So far it seems like he is being pretty smart about his approach." Tercen shrugged. "I may have teased him a little, about tonight. It might be a bit amusing to watch them," he said with a half smile. "Unless it all goes terribly wrong, really fast. Then it won't be funny at all, and it could ruin the whole evening," he added soberly. "But let's not assume the worst, shall we?"

While Edwyrd was busy with Ava's requests concerning the flower, Tercen good-naturedly took their outerwear from the man and helped Ava into her coat, first. "Don't forget a scarf, Temptress," he advised, while donning his own cloak. "We have a bit of a walk before us, to reach the Third."

With her arm curled around his, Tercen was in a good mood as they said goodbue to Edwyrd and left the mansion. Tercen always felt proud to walk the streets of the City with Ava on his arm. He imagined any man would be jealous at the sight of such a woman attached to his arm, not theirs. As they walked, Tercen told Ava some more of what to expect of the place they were going to. The Third Circle tavern he had chosen for the evening was generally nice, but not overly fancy. And two nights a week, they had musicians and made room for dancing on the wooden floor. Which people gladly did, before or after eating there. There were also plenty of people who just stepped in to dance, along with consuming some drinks. The food was restaurant quality, but the atmosphere was more relaxed. Anyone making trouble, was not tolerated at all and was quickly shown to the door. The owner specifically had people to watch and deal with unfavorable behaviour. "All in all... it's a great place to relax and take a lady for a spin on the dance floor," Tercen finished, with a disarming smile at Ava.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
Arriving at Arnyn's house - 4th circle
Dec 29th, evening

With a laugh, Gladhron nodded his agreement. "True, wouldn't want the servants feeling that their jobs weren't fulfilling." He smirked in amusement. "And we wouldn't want to deprive Gwestion of the enjoyment of pushing me in the stream once in a while." He added jokingly. Not that he really did that, but it sounded funny, anyway.

Listening as she spoke about Lady Isys, Gladhron nodded thoughtfully. Gwandhyra, or Dom, had told them some about their host, as well. He considered the suggestion that Celume had made. "I don't really know the lady well enough to make a guess at what sort of thing she would appreciate," He said with a little frown of thoughtfulness. "Gwestion could probably think of something better than I could, but... hm." He shrugged. "We'll think about what we could do."

When she mentioned having two spare rooms in her house, he grinned. "Well, that's good to know, but we wouldn't have asked you to take us in." He assured her. "We weren't even the ones who asked about this. Gwandhyra.. Dom.. did that." He explained, recalling that he had asked that he call him that, here. It would take a bit of getting used to. "It was a surprise to us, in fact." He shrugged, smiling though. It was nice that she would even think of the idea of letting them stay with her, even though it wasn't necessary now.

He listened with some curiosity when she spoke about Tercen's lady, Ava. "I believe he's mentioned a few of those qualities," He said with a little grin. He was curious about the lady. He was pretty sure he'd seen her around at the masquerade, but he hadn't really paid a lot of attention. To be honest, most of his attention had been on the lady currently holding his arm, once he had confirmed who she was.

At the door, he took a moment to think. "Hm," He glanced around. "Well, I will leave that up to you." He decided. "If you want to wait for a few minutes, I don't mind." He told her. "Although, they might be inside, waiting for us," He added thoughtfully. "Maybe it would be best to take a look around inside first, and make sure they haven't already gotten here ahead of us?" he suggested, preparing to get the door for her if she agreed to that idea.

---

Ava
Ava's house - 5th circle

Ava grinned as he reminded her about the scarf. In fact, the fuzzy one she had bought in the market that day was already there, draped over a hook by the door. "So, is there anything that I ought to know, like anything I shouldn't say, or..?" She glanced at Tercen as she slid her arms into her sleeves, a bit curious about the situation with his friend and sister. And she certainly wouldn't want to say anything that might lead to the entire evening being ruined.

After bidding goodbye to Edwyrd, Ava set out, holding Tercen's arm and smiling happily. She had greatly enjoyed the masquerade, and the dancing. Meeting Tercen had been a great part of that evening, of course, but she had also enjoyed the dancing in general, even when she had danced with a few others. She listened as he told her about the place they were going to. "It sounds lovely." She smiled.

A part of her couldn't help imagining what it could be like in her home city, if they had places like that, instead of the sort of places they did have. It might take a long time to bring about some of these changes, but she really hoped that someday, it might actually happen. There was something about being here in this city that seemed to stir up her hopes and dreams to new levels, and she wasn't sure if it was just the city itself, or Tercen, or something to do with that king of theirs. Whatever it was, she wasn't opposed to it.

"Do we need to stop by your sister's house for her, or is she and your friend meeting us at the place?" Ava asked, once they had passed through to the fourth level. She also didn't know much about this friend, and whether they needed to find him or not, but hopefully they would not need to stay out in the cold for too much longer. The scarf was nice and cozy, but it didn't cover her ears or nose, and those were getting a little chilled by the time they'd walked for a few minutes.

[Rillewen]

Private

|
Aderic Androllius with Amethyst Nerennia
About six years ago
A couple of days following this post

“Amy, I need to talk to you.” Ric said, finding Amy sitting on the edge of the fountain, staring at her ring with a sad and troubled expression.

She looked up, blinking in shock at the sight of Ric covered in mud, his clothes all snagged up as well, with tiny little tears in various places. He even had scratches on his arms and face! “Ric! What happened to you?” She asked, wide-eyed as she stood up in surprise, eyes widening.

“I’ve just come from Linhir.” He told her gravely. “Haven’t even had a chance to change. I didn’t think I would need to bring a change of clothes with me, which I have regretted.” He explained.

Amy caught her breath, waiting to hear what he had to say.

Ric hesitated. “I'm sorry, I didn’t find him, Amy.” He told her apologetically. “I searched as long as I could, and I couldn't find him. But.. I did find Winyára.”

Amy bit her lip, fighting despair at the news that he had not found him, but tried to focus on the other part. “H-how is she?” She asked, concerned about the horse. She knew Reilly cared a lot about his horse.

Well aware of how muddy he still was, Ric maintained respectable distance from her. “She’s alright, now. She was a little thin and scratched up, and a bit dehydrated, but I made sure she was fed and watered, and ointment has been put on her wounds. I think she’ll be fine. She's in her usual stall, now.” Upon settling both horses into the stable, Ric asked that the stableman take extra care of Winyára, and that any expenses for her care be added to Ric’s bill.

Amy nodded slowly, her gut clenching up with anxiety. “Where.. where did you find her?”

Ric drew a slow breath. “About an hour up the road from Linhir, going toward the beacon. She was a ways off the road, caught in a patch of briers. I had a time cutting through them just to get to her, and.. there was a good deal of water and mud to deal with, as well.” He shook his head in frustration. “I suspect she hadn’t been there for more than a day or two.. my guess is that she was roaming around the area for a while, probably looking for food and water, and maybe she’d gone in there for the water.” It made sense to him, at least. He really hoped that was the case, for that would mean Reilly could not be down there under all that murky water.

Amy nodded slowly. “And.. no sign of Reilly?” She asked softly, trying not to let her voice tremble in her concern.

“None,” Ric answered her, frowning as he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Amy. I looked for as long as I could. I went to the guard headquarters there in Linhir, and asked them to search, too, but.. I don’t even know if they took me seriously.” He sighed. “I mean, look at me.” He shrugged and sighed.

“We should get the guard here to look into it.” She decided, frowning. “We have to talk to them, Ric!”

“I agree.” He nodded. “But I don’t know if they’ll listen,” He sighed.

“They have to. I’ll make sure they listen.” She declared, her jaw set, a determination in her eyes. “Let’s go.”

“Uh..” Ric hesitated. “Perhaps, if you don’t mind, could I go and clean up a bit, first?” He asked, feeling rather uncomfortable with all this mud dried up on his clothes.

“Oh.. yes, of course.” She answered with an apologetic smile. “Go and clean up. I’ll meet you in front of the headquarters in.. half an hour?” She suggested.

“That sounds good.” He nodded. “I’ll meet you there. Lieutenant Feirion should be on duty, I believe, but he can ensure that the captain hears about this, and perhaps we can finally get something done about this.”


(continued here)

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

"That was nice of Domanol," Arnyn said with a smile. "To ask Isys, on your behalf." She chuckled. "Well - if Gwestion tires of running away from the man servant, he might still ask for refuge," she laughed, explaining the thought she found so amusing. She didn't really expect that to happen, but it was a funny thought nonetheless.

She grinned but also rolled her eyes at the news Tercen had mentioned a few of Ava's characteristics. "I bet he has," she said drily, before listening to Gladhron's opinion on the issue of waiting outside versus looking around inside the tavern already. "While I doubt they would have made it here before us," she mused out loud, "perhaps it would simply be easiest to wait inside." She stepped forward, but Gladhron beat her to the door, and she gave him a bit of a curious look before walking in.

The warmth and sounds of the tavern hit her - not like a soft blanket, as it otherwise might - but almost like an assault on her senses. Arnyn halted, therefore, but a few paces from the entrance, which would allow Gladhron to easily catch up to her. She narrowed her eyes a little to allow her dilated pupils some more time to adjust to the well lit room, a stark contrast from the darkness out on the streets, but had to fight the blurriness for just a moment. To make it look like she had something to do other than just regain her equilibrium, she started taking off her cloak. Her fingers fumbled at the clasp a little at first, but then she managed to get it open. When Gladhron came up beside her, she took the cloak off and nodded at the still blurry tavern: "Well? What do you think?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
Arriving at the tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

"Indeed, it was." He agreed with a smile. "I'm sure he probably did it more for Seri than for me and Gwestion, but of course it's no less appreciated." He laughed then when she mentioned offering refuge to Gwestion if he got tired of the servant chasing him around. "I think they might get along pretty well, actually." he grinned. "You should've seen them, doing that.. subtle sort of teasing kind of thing that Gwestion does, but back and forth a bit. It was.. weird but funny." He told her, amused. "I think Gwestion's secretly liking it better here in the city than he would have anyone believe." He confided to her, in a mock-whisper.

When she agreed to waiting inside, Gladhron made sure to get the door for her, smiling as he bowed slightly while she passed through, as if trying to maintain a bit of 'high class gentleman behavior' or whatever. And if she thought it was over the top, he could pass it off as still being a little silly about that stuff. He just hoped she wouldn't think he was too silly, too often. As that thought occurred to him, he noticed the curious look she'd given him, and offered a smile in return.

Stepping inside, he looked around at the place, and therefore, did not notice her reaction to the lights or warmth. "Well? What do you think?" Her question drew his attention back to her, and he turned to her and realized he'd forgotten to offer to help with her cloak. "I.. might have let Gil get a bit carried away," He mentioned a little uncertainly, after seeing how some of the other guys were dressed. "Am I.. too fancy?" He asked, a bit amazed. In all of his life, Gladhron had never would have expected that he would be in a situation where he was dressed nicer than others!

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

"I wonder how Gwestion would feel and fare in Belfalasian society," she mused, after surmounting her surprise about him not being too bothered by the servant's fussing because apparently their sense of humor matched. She was glad to hear that Gwestion liked it better here than he might be showing. It was always nice to know friends enjoyed Minas Tirith, but that also meant the brothers would be more likely to return in the years to come, right?

The uncertainty in Gladhron's voice was unexpected at first, and kind of humorous shortly thereafter. Arnyn smiled when her vision came back into focus and she saw Gladhron standing there, still cloaked, his eyes flicking past the other patrons of the establishment. "Well," Arnyn said good-naturedly, "Let's have a better look at what 'Gil' came up with?" She gestured for him to take off his cloak, and when her friend did, Arnyn had to bite her bottom lip to keep from grinning. She dumped her own cloak over Gladhron's own, over his arm, without asking. Then she did ask, slanting her head and raising her eyebrows a little as she pointed at his rather unusual neck scarf... thing: "May I?"

After receiving an affirmative response, Arnyn took a step closer and checked how it was tied, so she might untie it. She was careful, as to not scratch or push into his neck, and once the tie was off, looked him over again. "You still look fancy," she decided. "But not in an over-the-top way. And I like the blue." Arnyn smiled at him genuinely. "If your cloak doesn't have any pockets, mine does. I could stow this away?" she offered, raising her hand holding the scarf-tie a little.

---

@Rillewen

Tercen
Going down the Circles
December 29th, evening

When Ava asked whether there was anything she shouldn't say, Tercen chuckled. "It might be funny if you say something," he admitted. "But I guess it wouldn't do to make it awkward for either - or both - of them. It's probably best not to refer to him as her 'special friend' or 'date' or anything. We don't need to stop at her house. He was going to go pick her up there," Tercen explained, unable to keep the grin off his face as he told Ava about that. "Trying to be subtle about it. We can all meet at the place."

When they approached the tavern, he held the door for her. "After you, my lady."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
At the tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Laughing, Gladhron tried to imagine that. "I don't think he'd enjoy it," he said, amused when she pondered aloud how Gwestion would fare in Belfalasian society. "It was pretty funny, actually. The whole time I was getting dressed, Gwestion was making little comments, like suggestions of things he might ought to do, you know, just to tease me." he rolled his eyes, but was barely containing a grin as he went on, "So as soon as I was done getting dressed, he just turned to Gwestion and went, 'Now.. where to even begin with you..' like it was going to be a tremendous challenge." Gladhron snickered as he relayed the story. It was probably not proper 'etiquette' for the setting, but it was a funny story and he didn't really care, because he figured she would enjoy hearing this. "And Gwestion.."

However, he stalled a bit from telling the rest of the story when she draped her cloak over his arm and asked if he minded her assisting him. "Oh yes, absolutely." he assured her, glad for a bit of aid. He held very still while she worked, wondering if the knot was difficult to undo. It had seemed sort of complicated while he watched Gil tying it, but soon she had it off. "Yes, sure." He agreed when she asked about stowing it, and his smile widened when she complimented the color. "Blue is my favorite color," He admitted with a little smile, temporarily forgetting the rest of the story. "I really like your blue," He added with a grin.

---

Ava
Arriving at the tavern - 3rd circle

She grinned when he said that it might be funny, but then nodded after he did tell her a few terms that would be best to avoid, in order to not make things awkward for either or both of them. She would not like to cause any trouble for his sister, nor for his friend, after all. "I will certainly keep that in mind." She assured him.

It was a relief to hear that they did not need to make any other stops, and soon the fourth circle was behind them. She was eager to get out of the cold, and smiled warmly at him when he held the door open for her. "Thank you." She said softly, stepping inside. The warmth that greeted her was very welcome, and took a moment to stand still while she waited for Tercen to join her inside. And while she waited for those extra few seconds, she lingered in the warmth of her coat, gloves, and scarf. She had forgone the hat, so not to mess up her hair, so her head had gotten a little cold during the walk.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

|
Arnyn | Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

As Arnyn slipped the scarf-tie into the same pocket of her cloak where she'd put her coin and key purse, she smiled in surprise when Gladhron said blue was his favorite color. Ah, so that was why he'd been so complimentary earlier. Arnyn shook her head a little, still smiling, when he said he really liked 'her' blue. "Blue is my favorite, too. And this," she added, gesturing at her dress, "is just about my preferred shade. Which is why I couldn't resist buying this dress when I came across it a few years ago. Well," she amended slightly, "the color, and how soft the fabric is." Her eyes glanced down to Gladhron's fancy vest briefly before she raised her eyes back to his. "I guess we match," she remarked, looking a bit amused by that. People might even think they agreed on this beforehand, if they saw them together.

Behind Gladhron, the door to the tavern opened again, and looking over his shoulder, Arnyn saw Ava entering, swiftly followed by Tercen. He was clearly in an excellent mood, and he spotted her almost immediately, judging by the grin that flashed over his face and the nod he sent her way, before turning to assist Ava with her things.

"There they are now," Arnyn told Gladhron, nodding toward Tercen and Ava behind him.

Tercen was meanwhile helping Ava out of her coat, before guiding her those last few steps over to Gladhron and Arnyn. "Bud. Sis." Tercen's greeting was succinct, but the way his face was beaming, made it more than clear how happy he was to be in this company, in this place. ""Looks like you beat us here."

"Not by much," Arnyn told him, before giving Ava a tentative smile. "Hello, Ava. You look wonderful." She slanted her head, looking Tercen over now he had also discarded his cloak. "And look at you... Did you pick that out yourself?" she questioned, unsure to what degree Ava might have helped him.

"Yes, I did," Tercen shrugged, unbothered by Arnyn's comment and question. "Is my taste better than you realized?" He raised an eyebrow.

Arnyn smiled and shook her head a little, changing the subject. "Ava, meet Gladhron. Gladhron, Ava. I mentioned places like this to him when he said something about dancing, or learning to dance. Right?" she checked with a glance at Gladhron. "And since I figured some additional company wouldn't be the worst thing, since my brother cannot focus on me for longer than about twenty minutes, and since Gladhron didn't want to go to one of these things alone, it was a win win," she briefly explained. "So, how about we find a table?"

Tercen nodded. "Sounds good." They soon claimed a still empty table, where the men put down the coats and cloaks. "We'll go and get some drinks," Tercen asserted. "Ava? Arnyn?" When both women had given their preference, Tercen slapped an arm around Gladhron's shoulder and steered him toward the bar. He gave his friend a sidelong glance. "You dressed up more than I'd expected," he noted on the way there.

At the table, Arnyn was glad - and relieved - to sit. Her throat was dry, and her cheeks had flushed again. She was really looking forward to the water she'd asked for.
"How are you?" she asked Ava. "I'm not sure if it needs to be said, but... I'd prefer not to talk about... business... tonight," Arnyn suggested, wanting to avoid a repeat of the evening the two of them had met. "What do you say to 'keeping it light'?"
Arnyn had forgotten all about the scarring at the base of her neck, but it was hardly visible with the way her hair was draped on and over her shoulders. "Seems like a good crowd, tonight. Enough people to make merry, but not so many to overcrowd the place. Not yet, anyway."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Ava
At the tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Gladhron merely smiled when she mentioned her own favorite color was blue, also. He didn't know if it might be considered dishonest to act as if he didn't know that already, and yet, he also didn't want to mention that he had already known that. It might seem too much as if he had planned on matching, when in fact, he had already been thinking of blue because it was his favorite. The fact that Tercen told him Arnyn liked blue, too, was merely a happy coincidence. "It's a very pretty shade," he agreed, smiling as she indicated her dress. Then, letting out a little laugh as he glanced down, he grinned. "Yeah, I guess we do match." He hoped that she wouldn't be uncomfortable with that, but she looked amused, so he was glad to see that.

Turning when she nodded to the door, Gladhron spotted Tercen quite easily. His hair was rather easy to distinguish from the rest of the folks in there, after all. The lady that was with him was quite pretty, and amusingly, he couldn't help noticing that despite them also wearing the same color, her looks were as different from Tercen's as night and day. Gladhron smiled as they approached them. There was a look of happiness in Tercen's face that made Gladhron glad for him.


At Arnyn's complimentary words, Ava's smile widened slightly. "Thank you, so do you." She returned the compliment freely. "Blue looks nice on you." She added, thinking it paired very nicely with her blond hair and her fair complexion. She turned a pleasant smile toward the gentleman next to Arnyn when introductions were given. "Pleased to meet you, Gladhron." She greeted him, carefully making sure to pronounce his name as Arnyn had, then smiled slightly as Arnyn explained about his presence. Ah.. so that was why he had been invited. She wondered if the other woman had any notion that it would seem like a double date.. but decided not to ask, after what Tercen had said before they arrived.

"Very nice to meet you too, miss Ava." Gladhron replied with a smile. "Definitely a win-win," He agreed, nodding in confirmation with Arnyn's explanation that was, more or less, how him being here had come about.

After they had selected a table, Gladhron had no time to say anything else before Tercen suggested that the guys get some drinks, and practically dragged him off. After hearing Tercen's comment to him, Gladhron was rather glad Arnyn had already taken the tie thing off. He grinned over at his friend. "So did you," He pointed out good-naturedly. "But I can't claim to have selected this, myself, as you did yours." He admitted.

"I was just telling Arnyn about our new living arrangements, for the duration of our stay here in Minas Tirith. Seri's.. gentleman friend, who also happens to be a friend of my brother and me, he asked a relative of his about letting us stay with her. She has a large house on the fifth level," he explained. "Complete with a few servants," He added, still a bit unsure how he felt about that. "We moved in this morning, and.. well.. one of the servants is a 'valet', whose literal job is apparently, helping a gentleman with his clothing and appearance. Only, he's had no gentleman in the household in a quite while, so he seemed quite eager to help me when he heard I was going out tonight." Gladhron gave a little shrug and smiled, with a little motion to the clothes. "Plus, there was some clothes left there by someone who had been there before us at some point. So.. it's borrowed."


Ava claimed a seat across from Arnyn, after a quick moment of decision. Between sitting across from Tercen or next to him, she preferred to sit next to him. And it occurred to her that maybe it would be nice if the other pair ended up next to each other, also. Inwardly, she was smiling about that thought, while outwardly she merely smiled as she glanced around and appeared to be appreciating the interior of the place. Her attention returned to Arnyn, though, when she spoke up. "Oh, yes, absolutely." She agreed wholeheartedly. "This is certainly not the place for.. such serious talk." She nodded solemnly. There were far too many people around for discussing any of that, and she didn't want to bring up where she was from while in such a public place. Others may not be so understanding as Tercen, or even his sister.

She took another look around. "It does seem nice here." She agreed, switching smoothly to 'light conversation'. The atmosphere seemed pleasant, the music was nice, and the place seemed clean and cozy, yet with a spacious area for dancing. "Do you think it will end up getting more crowded?" She asked, curious since Arnyn had said 'not yet, anyway'. "Is it usually this busy? Or.. I suppose there are still some travelers lingering in town, after the masquerade?" She guessed, though she didn't really know if any of the folks currently in there were from Belfalas or other lands, or if they were locals.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

|
Arnyn | Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

At the bar, Tercen shrugged. "Yeah. I know," he said about dressing up more. "It's just that Ava always... well, I mean, you just saw her. I still can't quite believe she is giving me the light of day, you know?" He listened with interest when Gladhron explained about where their group was staying now, and who had helped him dress for the evening. "Well," he said, appraising Gladhron's outfit a second time, "the clothes are clearly high class..." He grinned, "but paired with your more casual demeanour I think the combination will be just right, don't you?" Tercen signalled the bartender. "Ava has servants too," he remarked out loud. "But as far as I know, they don't help her get dressed. At least.. not when I'm there," he corrected himself, realizing he had no idea of what she did when he wasn't around.

"One water," he ordered for Arnyn, "and can you whip up two glasses with equal parts white wine and apple juice, smaller amounts of whisky and lemon juice and a bit of suggar added in?" When the bartended nodded, Tercen nodded his thanks. "And you?" he asked Gladhron.

Once the bartender was busy preparing their drinks, Tercen turned to the side to face Gladhron, his elbow casually and confidently leaning on the top of the bar. "And?" he asked, grinning. "How did the pick-up go? You managed not to make it awkward?"


At the table, Arnyn thought about Ava's question. "I don't come in here more than a few times a year," she admitted, "so I can't really make the best comparison. It will likely get a bit busier as the evening progresses some more. It usually does. As for how the added guests in the city might factor into the crowd..." Arnyn looked around with a little smile. "I'm sure there are more people in here than on 'regular' week nights," she agreed. "You're here as a guest of the City, too, after all," she noted, looking back at Ava. "What do you like the most about our city, so far?" Arnyn asked the lady curiously.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Ava
At the tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Gladhron grinned slightly at Tercen's amazement that Ava was interested in him. "I think you two look pretty nice together." He commented, then motioned to Tercen's clothes. "You even match her." He added, somewhat curious. "Was that planned?" He wondered, then leaned on the bar slightly while Tercen commented on his own clothing again, taking a look around at some of the other people around. "Let's hope that combination works," He grinned back.

It was interesting to hear that Ava had servants. Gladhron wondered about that, and let out a little laugh when Tercen added that he didn't think her servants helped her dress.. when he was there. "Well just to be clear, I got dressed all by myself," he said with amusement. "The guy only provided the clothes and a few suggestions," He grinned a little in amusement, but he definitely did want to make sure that was clear.

Tercen's drink order sounded somewhat complicated, making Gladhron rather glad he was not a bartender. He had intended on placing the order for Arnyn's water himself, but of course, it didn't really matter that much. It gave him a few seconds longer to try and decide what he ought to ask for. He had no idea. When the attention turned to him, he hesitated briefly. Knowing that Arnyn didn't drink, he didn't know whether he should also refrain from having anything alcoholic. But then, she hadn't seemed bothered by him drinking that wine at the masquerade, in her place. "Cider, please." He asked after a second or two, deciding not to overthink it too much. While the bartender nodded and went to get their drinks ready, he smiled as he shifted to face Tercen. "I think it went well enough. She seemed a little surprised when I showed up, but she remembered without me having to mention it, that she'd never told me where we were going. I helped her with her cloak, held the door, offered my arm to escort her... then held the door again when we got here," He thought back, going through the different things he had done. "Complimented her, of course... that hardly needed thinking about." He added with a soft little smile.


At the table, Ava nodded slightly as Arnyn answered her question. "True," She smiled as Arnyn pointed out that she was also a visitor to the city. Her question, however, gave her pause as she tried to think. What did she like most about it? Ava's first, half-joking thought was to say 'Tercen', but before the answer left her lips, she reminded herself that Tercen was also a guest to the city. Which meant that he was not actually 'a part' of it. Therefore, a couple of other things flashed through her mind, before she arrived at the best answer. "The.. atmosphere," She replied slowly, seeking the best word to describe it. "The lack of certain.. elements." She added quietly, with a little shrug.

"But, to keep the topic lighter," She offered a small, apologetic smile, "I suppose I most enjoy the fact that there are places like this, and that other one, where the masquerade was held, and... I heard there is also a place where they do plays and performances, and concerts and such." She paused, thinking. "I wonder if Tercen would want to go see something like that." She pondered aloud. "Do you think he would?" She asked, hoping to get a little insight from his sister. "I've been a little curious about that, but at the same time, I've been slightly concerned that if I were to ask him, he might agree to go just because I wanted to, and he might not really want to." She frowned thoughtfully, realizing she did not know him quite that well yet.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

|
Arnyn | Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

"Yes and no," Tercen said. "I knew what the different dresses were she was going to choose from. They were not all green. It was a fifty-fifty shot. And I prefer green, too, anyway, so. I'll get some use out of this jacket, I imagine." He barked out a relieved laugh when Gladhron said he had, in fact, dressed himself. "Thank the Valar! I was half-imagining the servant fussing over you with every item," he teased his friend.

"That sounds like Arnyn," Tercen nodded when Gladhron said she came up with her own explanation for why Gladhron had ended up at her door, instead of going directly to the tavern. He raised both eyebrows when the other man continued to explain all the little things he had done, which might tip Arnyn off to his interest. Tercen rolled his eyes at 'Gladhron hardly having to think about complimenting Arnyn'. Luckily the guy didn'tgo into more detail. She was still his baby sister... ""Wait - did she take your arm?" he asked, for he wasn't exactly sure what he would expect his sister to do with that. Upon Gladhron's 'yes', Tercen frowned thoughtfully. "That's interesting." The drinks were placed in front of them, then. Tercen immediately paid for them, and took Ava's drink and his own. He nodded at Gladhron to get his own and Arnyn's water. "All little things," Tercen allowed, "but all added up together... Did she say anything about it?"


The lack of certain elements. Well, yes. Arnyn kept forgetting about how vastly different the experience for Ava must be, here, as compared to Umbar. She had to laugh a little when Ava asked if Tercen would want to go see a performance. "I think he would definitely go if you asked him," Arnyn agreed, "and also solely because it is you asking him. I think he doesn't like the fact that he has to stay clustered to his seat for the whole performance. He doesn't like 'constraints' on being able to move around, should he want to. Not even to such a small degree," she told Ava. Arnyn's gaze went to the bar as she spoke of her brother, and she saw Tercen and Gladhron making their way back to the table already.

Arnyn waited for them to rejoin them, and then continued. "Gladhron is in town with his brother, and three friends. They were all thinking about going to see a play. Weren't you?" she asked Gladhron. "The only date left to see it, is tomorrow, though."

Tercen blinked at the topic they had barged in on, while he claimed the seat next to Ava. "You're talking about plays?" he questioned.

Arnyn accepted her water from Gladhron. "Thank you," she told him with a smile, before glancing at her brother. "Yes. Ava was wondering about them."

"Really?" Tercen asked, sounding surprised. "You like that sort of thing?" he asked Ava.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Ava
At the tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Grinning slightly at their conversation, Gladhron followed Tercen back to the table, while making a mental note about the cost of his drink, because he had intended on paying for his own things, not expecting Tercen to pay for his. As he carried his and Arnyn's drinks to the table, Gladhron wondered why it was 'interesting'. "No," he answered thoughtfully. "She gave me a funny look when I opened the door for her, but she didn't say anything." He shrugged, then went quiet as they were now approaching the ladies.

Ava considered what Arnyn said in reply to her question about the play. So, he would probably not want to go for any other reason. She wasn't sure if that was reason enough to ask him about going. Of course, she didn't have to have him along just to go see a play. But his company would be nice. And it would be more enjoyable than going alone. The added insight about why Tercen may not be too favorable to the idea made her nod thoughtfully. "I see," She said softly, thinking about that.

When the gentlemen rejoined them at the table, Gladhron smiled as he placed the glass of water before Arnyn, and slid into the seat next to her. He was a bit confused for a second, when Arnyn almost immediately turned to him to confirm that they were going to see a play. "We talked about it, yes." He answered, then hesitated. "Although, I'm not sure if Gwestion went to get the tickets," he realized. "We were so busy last night and this morning.." And the days before that.. and it had entirely slipped Gladhron's mind, with staying up all night that one day, and all the rest. "I guess Seri could've done it, too," he added, sort of hopeful that at least one member of their group had remembered, and that it was not too late.

Ava cast a glance toward Arnyn, realizing that she had done that deliberately. She turned to listen to Gladhron's answer, nodding, before then looking at Tercen with a little tilted head when he seemed surprised that she would like that sort of thing. "I don't know," She replied with a slight shrug. "I've never seen anything like that, but I have heard that they are nice to see. A different sort of entertainment than.. well, what's common where I come from." She tried to keep vague, reluctant to get any further into that. She looked then at Gladhron again. "Have you seen one before?" She wondered, curious if he had any prior experience, or was simply curious, like her.

"I.. haven't, here in Minas Tirith." Gladhron answered. "A friend of mine though, her husband is an actor with a small group that travels around, and I've seen them perform." He nodded. "I enjoyed watching them perform. But they can only put on plays during the summer, at least in Bree." He added with a little smile. "I don't know about the other places they go, but the only place there is in Bree, is an outdoor place with a rough stage, so it'd be way too cold in the winter, both for the actors and for the audience." He explained. "I heard that the theater here is huge and indoors, so that ought to be very nice, by comparison."

Ava nodded slowly, thinking about that and trying to picture it. She tilted her head at Tercen. "I take it, by your reaction, that you would not really be interested?" She asked, taking the drink he offered to her. She wondered what he had brought, since she'd asked him to 'surprise her'.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

|
Arnyn | Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

Even though Arnyn wondered what they had been so busy with, she didn't ask, figuring he would just tell them if he wanted them to know. "Thank you," she smiled at Gladhron when her hands curled around the glass of water. "I didn't get a ticket yet, either," she told Gladhron reassuringly. "People mostly purchase them before actually going in. Though I suppose this time there might be more people who are interested. If we go early enough, it probably won't be a problem."

Tercen was looking between the other three, looking a bit hesitant to weigh in much. When Ava said she had never seen 'anything like that', his expression changed a little and his eyes lingered on her with something that bordered on concern when she compared it to the different kind of entertainment she was 'used to'. Curse that place. When Ava turned her head to look at him, his expression shifted into a little smile. "Is that the idea I am giving off?" he wondered out loud, tilting his head to mirror Ava. "You are curious?" he supposed, basing himself off her words and her question to Gladhron. "And you would like to try it." She had wanted to try all kinds of different things here, after all. Going to the masquerade, trying typical Gondorian meals, spending time with a man who actually appreciated her - apparently all of which were new experiences. This stuff was why she was here. If he could keep entertaining her by giving her such experiences, maybe she would let him keep her company for a longer time, at least? "I'll take you," he therefore supplied, not a trace of hesitation in his tone or demeanour, now.

Meanwhile, Arnyn had already finished half her water, and she raised an eyebrow at Tercen's confident statement. "Well. There you go," she said a bit more quietly, smiling softly behind the rim of her glass. Tercen is so smitten. It would be much more amusing too, if the conditions surrounding Ava were not so complicated...

Tercen now grinned as he raised his glass slightly at Ava. "Give it a go," he suggested, indicating her glass. "I hope you like it." He gave nothing away of the contents just yet, however.

Arnyn frowned slightly, and leaned toward Gladhron. "What did he order?" she wondered. Knowing her brother, it could be anything.

The brother in question lifted one shoulder as he glanced at her. "You don't have to drink it, sis," he said. "You can focus on your water." He took a demonstrative sip from his own glass, and then grinned at everyone around the table. "So! Who's hungry?"

Arnyn's heart rate went up at that question. Of course! How hadn't she thought about that? Of course food would come up! She wanted to smack herself in the face for missing something this obvious, and for not having prepared for it. Her mind was already racing to come up with an acceptable excuse...
"Mhmm, I don't know," she drawled, turning in her seat a little and trying to get a look at some of the suggestion boards that were put up on the walls. "What kind of things do they have here, again?" With a little sigh, she turned back to the three at the table, with an apologetic smile. "While it is dinner time, I'm not feeling all that hungry. I admit I've been snacking today." Never mind that hardly any of it actually stayed down. But that was precisely why she didn't want to eat, now. If her stomach still refused it, then they would all know something was awry. Not that they'd immediately assume she was poisoning herself. Because who in their right mind would do that? She almost laughed at the thought, but managed to tamp it down to a little smile.

"Not that hungry? In the evening?" It was Tercen's turn to raise not one, but two eyebrows at that. "Snacking or not, that seems unusual for you." For Gladhron's and Ava's benefit, he added: "Arnyn tends to eat her biggest meal in the evening."

"The exception confirms the rule," she countered casually. "At any rate, what would you three like to have?"

Tercen shrugged. "I feel like something simple. I saw they have a spinach and chicken dish with cream sauce and cheese. That sounds good to me."

even though her stomach almost turned, Arnyn nodded at the choice with a soft smile. "What about you two?" she asked Gladhron and Ava.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Ava
At the tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Smiling as he nodded in reply to Celume's thank you, Gladhron took a small sip of his cider, listening as she explained about tickets. "Oh, that's good to know. I wasn't sure, a city this size, I thought they might get sold out or something." He mentioned, relieved that it was probably not very likely to be a problem. Hopefully? He figured, if it did happen, maybe they could find something else equally fun to do. Still, they would have to find out how much it was going to cost, because they'd have to make sure that they actually had enough to cover it.

Meanwhile, Ava smiled softly at the way Tercen responded, changing his attitude somewhat, to appear as if he were not opposed to the idea. While it was not hard to guess that he'd changed his response about it simply for her sake, she did appreciate that. And awarded him with a pleased smile when he concluded with "I'll take you". "Thank you, Sunshine." She answered softly, then turned to give a small nod in answer to Arnyn's comment. She decided not to add a 'thank you' to her, because she didn't want Tercen to feel that there had been some sort of plot going on between them. But a tiny smile would serve as a thanks, if Arnyn were paying attention.

Gladhron couldn't help a little grin at hearing Tercen called 'Sunshine', after him saying something about not wanting to continue being known as Sunbeam, now that the masquerade was over. Yet also, because of his words about how he couldn't believe she was even giving him 'the light of day'. "So, what sort of entertainment is common where you're from?" He asked curiously, not realizing that it was a touchy subject.

Ava caught her breath at hearing the question, but she managed not to tense or widen her eyes or react visibly in any way. She turned to look at Gladhron with a faint smile lingering on her lips. "Oh, just a lot of uninteresting types of events that have never held any appeal for me. Not worth speaking of." She replied smoothly, attempting to evade the question as well as possible. Inwardly, she scolded herself for having been so careless, but hoped that the guy would drop it. "What sort of plays have you seen, which your friend's husband was in?" She asked, hoping to deflect back toward him.

Gladhron nodded slightly, recognizing a rather... Gwestion-esque type of answer, which didn't actually answer the question while trying to turn the question back toward him. He mentally shrugged and pretended not to notice, smiling as he launched into a brief summary of one of the plays he'd seen Darius in. Ava listened with curiosity, nodding with interest. She picked up her drink and smiled toward Tercen when he encouraged her to try it.

Gladhron turned to Arnyn at hearing her question, and tried to recall what he'd heard Tercen ask for. "There were several ingredients, from the sound of it?" He answered with a little shrug. "I can't recall exactly." That was truthful enough, since he could not remember each ingredient that Tercen had asked for.

Ava grinned, somewhat relieved that Gladhron had seemed to drop the 'entertainment matter'. She sampled a small sip of the drink, trying to distinguish the flavors. "Hm, it's good, whatever it is." She decided, a bit amused. She wasn't sure that she would have asked for this if she had chosen for herself, but she liked it well enough. "Excellent taste, you have." She told Tercen, smiling. When he asked about food, she gave a little nod. Yes, she was quite hungry. "Mmm, that sounds good," She added, after hearing what he had chosen. "I'll have the same." That was easy enough. She smiled and glanced toward Arnyn when she declared she'd only have something small, because she'd been snacking. She was curious, however, when Tercen mentioned that it was 'odd' for her. And that his sister usually ate her largest meals in the evening. A part of her wondered whether there was a cause for it, but she tried not to read too much into it.

Gladhron had taken a look at the suggestion board as well, then glanced at Arnyn questioningly, but decided not to make a fuss about her not being hungry. He grinned slightly. "Well, I haven't been snacking all day, so..." He scanned the board again. "That cheese-stuffed pasta shell thing sounds pretty good, I think I'll try that." He decided. Pasta was not something he had a chance to try very often. And being stuffed with cheese definitely sounded delicious. After a moment to think, he added with a little glance toward Arnyn, "Maybe we could get a basket of bread, in case you'd like to nibble on something?" He suggested, thinking she might like to have something, at least, in case she got a bit hungry while they were eating.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

|
Arnyn | Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

Arnyn nodded slightly when she saw Ava's small smile. She hadn't forced Tercen or anything - all he had done was act the way Arnyn had expected him to. But she appreciated the fact that Ava recognized her setting the scene, and perhaps... facilitating... the process. It was not hard to see why. How could it be a bad thing to show Ava how things could be, where she lived? Rather than how things were. Returning her glass to the table just when Gladhron asked Ava what kind of entertainment was common where she came from, Arnyn's expression or composure did not change. She had seen and heard enough of Ava by now to know the woman could take care of her own business. On the other hand... Arnyn had also learned enough about Gladhron by now, to know he might notice more than he would be letting on - if the matter was of interest to him.

Tercen beamed when Ava complimented his choice of drink, relieved he had come up with something she liked. "Thank you, Temptress," he grinned at her. If she was using her nickname for him, why wouldn't he use the one he had for her, after all? He glanced at Arnyn and Gladhron. "It's white wine and apple juice, with some lemon juice and whisky. And sugar, so it all balances out." He looked back at Ava with a smile. "In case you also wanted to know," he said a bit more quietly as he gazed at her.

Gladhron suggested they could order some bread, in case she wanted to nibble on something while they ate, made Arnyn smile appreciatively. "Sounds like a good idea," she agreed without protest, even though she knew she would definitely be limiting herself to literal 'nibbling'. Still, it seemed like a way for her to be able to hold something in her hand and hardly eat anything of it at all, without it being too obvious. "Shall I go place the order?"

Tercen rose from his chair with a sigh. "No, no. I'll take care of that, sweet sister. You stay here and entertain our guests." With a devious little smile, he was soon on his way back to the bar.

Arnyn rolled her eyes with a little grin. "They don't come and take your order at the tables, here," she told Gladhron and Ava. "So if you want anything, the bar is your friend. They do bring over the food," she added. The music had already been playing when they'd entered, but the tune had changed from background music to something a little more lively, which had shaken several people from merely standing around with drinks in hand, to actually pairing up and dancing around the floor. When she saw someone bumping into someone else, she drew Gladhron's attention to it. "Like I told you, not everyone here is skilled at dancing, or even at not bumping into others," she said, "but it doesn't matter. Everyone is here to have a nice time. People aren't bothered by it."

Tercen soon returned. "Our order has been placed!" he announced, dropping himself back into his seat. "How does everyone feel about a dance before dinner?" he grinned, casually draping an arm over Ava's back rest.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Ava
At the tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Ava grinned at Tercen at the use of his nickname for her. It was interesting to hear what the flavors were that she had tasted. The lemon, of course, was familiar, and the white wine. But while she had had apples before, she was less familiar with their flavor, as trade between Gondor and Umbar was not very abundant, and the fruit did not grow as well in Umbar. She was far more familiar with figs and pomegranates and dates and such. "It seems to be a nice combination." She replied to his words aimed to her.

Gladhron was glad that Arnyn seemed to like his suggestion. He wasn't sure he would feel right, eating while she had nothing. Even if she said she didn't mind, he'd feel bad about that. However, when she mentioned putting in the order, he was about to protest and suggest that he could go put in their order, since Tercen had ordered the drinks, but Tercen beat him to it. Well, Gladhron would make sure and find out how much to pay him back, then, he made up his mind. Turning to Arnyn, then to the dance floor, when she drew his attention there, Gladhron nodded slightly and smiled. "Well, that's a relief." He replied with a little laugh. "At least I've gotten better than I was when I tried practicing with Ms Seri, though." He grinned at the memory of them tripping over each other's feet and stuff.

"Ah.. learning to dance?" Ava asked with a little smile, to which Gladhron nodded in confirmation. "It's a nice thing to learn." She replied, nodding with approval. It certainly couldn't hurt, in his pursuit of the woman he was interested in, she figured. At least, she enjoyed dancing, so she figured Arnyn probably would, too. They were rather similar, she had noticed.

Teren returned about then, and Ava's smile increased just a bit as he did. "Oh, yes, a dance would be lovely." She agreed. "We will have to wait on the food to cook anyway, I imagine, so we might as well. Correct?" She asked with a little smile, quite happy to pass the time by dancing with Tercen. Of course, she knew that at some point he would want to dance with his sister, since that was the actual purpose for this evening, but Gladhron was also here to dance with Arnyn, so she didn't feel bad for wanting the first dance with Tercen, for herself.

Turning his gaze back from the dance floor, Gladhron smiled as he turned to Arnyn. Tercen's suggestion seemed like an excellent one, but he also didn't want to answer for her. "Would you like to dance?" He asked her, hoping her answer would be yes. He was sort of looking forward to trying out some of the moves that Tercen had shown him, since the masquerade, and hoped to surprise her by his added skills.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

|
Arnyn | Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

When Ava replied that a dance would be lovely, Tercen smoothly rose to his feet again and pushed his chair under the table before extending a hand out to her. "Correct, my lady." After Ava put her hand in his, he guided her out of her chair and winked at Arnyn and Gladhron. "I'll come and get you, later," he promised his sister, before he led Ava to the dance floor.

Before he put his hand on her waist, he spun her around - not too slow and not too fast. Then his free hand momentarily rested on her waist, before sliding around her back and holding her closer to him as they danced. He figured she would not mind, given how they had danced before and everything that had already happened between them.
"Are you enjoying your evening, so far?" Tercen asked her, wearing a soft smile. "I know it has only just begun. But you know what they say about first impressions. That goes for an evening just as well as for a person."

It wasn't exactly surprising when Gladhron asked her if she would like to dance, so Arnyn flashed him a smile as she put down her already empty glass. "I would," she told him amiably. "You think you remember the double twirl?" she asked, another smile now growing into a muted grin.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Ava
At the tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Smiling, Ava spun smoothly as Tercen guided her into a spin. The pleated gore going up the side of her dress allowed for freer movement than a first glance of the dress would seem to indicate, so she had no trouble with managing the spin, and came back to facing him with a smile. "I am, so far." She assured him, quite pleased to be dancing with him yet again.

She didn't mind him holding her so close, of course, and found that it was nice to be able to speak with him, with a bit more privacy. "So, what can you tell me about this theater place?" She asked curiously, speaking in a low voice. Since it was only the two of them in close enough proximity to hear each other speaking, she reverted back to her own accent, which didn't require any concentration to maintain. "Your friend said it was indoors, as opposed to outdoors, so that at least should not be cold. But is there anything else you can tell me?" She wondered, for instance, what sort of seating to expect, or whether there would be refreshments served, and that sort of thing.


Offering his arm, Gladhron smiled and led her toward the dance floor, somewhat nervous, but also somewhat eager to (hopefully) surprise her with the extra things he had learned since the masquerade. When she asked whether he remembered the double twirl, Gladhron gave a little thoughtful tilt of his head. "I think so," he answered, deliberately playing down how well he remembered the move.

As they found a spot on the floor, he smiled as he turned to her and placed a hand at her back, taking a moment to let them both get their bearings and into 'dance mode'. "Let's give it a try?" He suggested, to prepare her before leading her through the twirl. Having practiced this a fair amount by now, he no longer had to stop and think about the second twirl, and when she came around, he guided her through the second one without a hitch, and smiled bigger as she came around, catching her in his arms, and felt as if it had all gone fairly smoothly. "How was that?" he asked, feeling quite pleased with it.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

|
Arnyn | Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

"The theater place?" he repeated, a bit surprised by her circling back to it. She must be very interested in how it all worked, then... "Well," he began thoughtfully, glancing away as he thought about what he could tell her. "It's in the White Tree Theater, not all that far from the Hall of Song. On the same circle where your house is. It's like.. you enter into a main hall, where you can also buy your tickets if you do not have any yet. There are facilities, there, too. And there is a bar where you can get some refreshments before the play, or during intermission, or after the play. Not like at an inn or tavern, but just a few options to quench the thirst, you know?" He looked back at Ava, realizing she did - in fact - not know. "Or I am sure you can imagine. And then there are doors and stairways that lead to doors, that open into the theater itself. It is a very big room, built in a certain way to make sure the sound travels well. It has a stage area and an area for seating. The seats are staggered, with the rows going upward, so you can actually see the stage from every seat. There is a balcony, too. And some fancy seating, on either side of the room, just a bit lower tyhan the balcony but higher than the people sitting below." He smirked a little. "Mostly for rich folk. Like yourself." He spun her around again, appreciating the way her skirt twirled along after her. "They like how, there, they are not sitting among people they do not know. It also means they don't have to stand if someone else sitting in their row wants to pass by them."


Gladhron didn't seem too sure about whether he remembered how to do the double twirl, but when he did, he executed it perfectly. Arnyn's head was spinning a little when he caught her, and she knew it was because she had hardly eaten - which was making her lightheaded and more susceptible to dizziness. Arnyn tried to ignore it and instead smiled at her friend, trusting him not to suddenly let go of her, which might otherwise cause her to stagger a little. "You definitely do remember," she told him, sounding a bit surprised. "That was perfect!"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Ava
Dance tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Listening to his description, Ava found a few comparisons between this place, and some of the places of 'entertainment' found in Umbar. But there was a huge difference in this White Tree Theater, and places like the Crimson Rigging, or the Arena, and other places like that which existed in Umbar. She nodded slightly as he changed his words from 'you know?' to 'you can imagine'. While she had never frequented the places she thought of, back home, she was aware of them, and what sort of things happened there. The White Tree Theater was sure to host much more pleasant entertainment, since Gondor did not share the same views as Umbar on what qualifies as 'entertainment'.

While part of her wanted to ask if he knew anything about the play, she had to remind herself that of course he wouldn't, because he hadn't seen it. So, she refrained, and instead listened as he explained about the seating. Balconies, and 'fancy seating'? She let out a little laugh, grinning as he twirled her. When she came back to facing him, she was smiling. "And, do you happen to know how large of a group this 'fancy seating' would accommodate?" She asked curiously. The idea of sitting in a long row, crowded in with a lot of strangers was certainly not as appealing for her as sitting in a separate, 'fancy' area. And she was toying with the thought of doing a nice thing for Tercen's friend, and the others in that group. Although she didn't know them, if they were friends of Tercen's, and also of Arnyn's, then they couldn't be too bad, right?

---

Gladhron

He was quite relieved that he'd managed to pull it off so well, for the first time of the evening. But the surprised reaction from Arnyn made it well worth whatever practice he had put into making sure he remembered how to do that. "So I do!" He agreed, grinning as he enjoyed seeing the smile on her face. "Thank you, again, for teaching that to me." he added. He replaced his hand at her back now that the twirling was concluded.

He decided within a very short amount of time that it was nicer to dance with her tonight, rather than the night of the masquerade. For one reason, because he'd had a chance by now to learn a bit more about dancing, but also because she was not wearing that mask tonight, with the mesh over her eyes. He could see her pretty, big brown eyes, tonight as they danced. He wondered if it was a good time to try one of the things that Tercen had taught him that day in the park, or if he should wait a bit. "That didn't make you dizzy, did it?" He asked with a little smile, recalling that brief portion of their conversation at the masquerade.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

"There are a few different sizes," he said slowly, trying to think back to when he was last there. "I think there are three on each side of the theater. The one closest to the stage is only for two. The one behind and slightly above it is a bit bigger, the last one is the biggest. I have never counted the seats in those, however. And even if I had, I probably wouldn't remember." He gave her a curious look. "Want to live up to your money and sit in one of those places?" he asked, ending up with a teasing grin on his face near the end of the question. Even though he was teasing, he honestly wouldn't mind if that is what Ava would want to do. It would even feel less cramped, he imagined, and it would give him more maneuverability.

---

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

"You are very welcome," she told him genuinely in response for his thanks. "It was fun to teach you, and I'm really glad to see it stuck," she added with a pleased smile. His question, though, startled her a little, and her eyes widened slightly before she caught herself. Had he noticed? Already? "Dizzy?" she asked with a smile. "It didn't, last time," she reminded him, evading a lie. "And you must have twirled me, what, sixteen times?"

Her gaze fell on Tercen, dancing with Ava, as she looked over Gladhron's shoulder, and her expression got a bit more thoughtful. "They do look the part, together, don't they?" she commented, nodding in the other two's direction and then turning Gladhron and her around a little so Gladhron would be able to see them. "They both look happy, as far as I can tell," Arnyn said, now assessing Gladhron's expression, to see if he agreed. It would be good to have an outsider's opinion on what Tercen and Ava seemed like when they were together. For she was obviously biased, and possibly in more ways than one, at least for now.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Ava
Dance tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Ava was pleased to hear that there were multiple sizes of these balcony seatings, and nodded thoughtfully. She was already considering an idea, but didn't really want to give away her thoughts just yet. Not until she was certain she wanted to do that. So, when he asked if she was planning to live up to her money, she gave him a coy little smile. "Maaaybe," She answered, grinning slightly. "But you'll have to wait to find out." She smirked playfully.

"Would you prefer it, if we did?" She asked him, already guessing his answer. She had not forgotten what Arnyn had said about how he got restless, and didn't like being confined to one spot for too long. So, she had already decided that either way, they would be sitting in one of those places. The rest of this evening would determine whether they would be sitting in one that was just for two, or in the biggest, that would hopefully have enough seating for everyone; her, Tercen, Arnyn, Gladhron, and his friends. How many had Arnyn said he had joining him? While she and Tercen danced, she thought back to remember. His brother, and three friends, that was what she'd said. So, that came to a total of eight.

---

Gladhron

Gladhron smiled, happy to hear her say that it had been fun to teach him. He was actually quite relieved to hear that, as he had worried she might not have had as good a time, as she might have if she'd been dancing with someone who know all about it. But then, they'd had a lot of time to catch up, so that part had also been quite nice.

He gave a little laugh when she reminded him that she hadn't become dizzy last time, and made a guess at how many times he'd twirled her. "It might have been something like that," He agreed with a little grin. "Well, just checking." He shrugged, dismissing the slight impression he'd gotten for a moment there, that she'd looked or seemed just slightly unsteady.

When she called his attention toward the other two, Gladhron glanced over her shoulder and smiled slightly. "Yeah, they do look pretty happy." He agreed, glad to see it. Not that he knew Tercen anywhere near as well as Arnyn would, being a sibling, but everything Gladhron saw seemed to indicate that the guy was quite happy. And the lady definitely looked happy too. After a little hesitation, he returned his gaze to Arnyn. "Are you?" he asked, curious. "I mean, are you enjoying the evening so far?" He clarified. "Having a good time, you know." Technically, it was still a bit early to judge the entire evening, but it would be nice to know if she was enjoying it up to this point, at least.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

Her question made him hesitate. "I might," he admitted reluctantly. He did not really like to talk about his preferences when it came to freedom of movement, but it wasn't because he thought Ava might think it was strange. It was more... "I don't really like this about myself," he started to explain, because he had always been honest with her and he wasn't about to change that now, "but I don't like to feel cramped, or rather... locked in. To be clear - places like this -" he looked around the tavern, "can get crowded, but that isn't a problem, so long as I know I can just walk out, without having to depend on other people to move out of my way. So..." He paused, looking into her dark eyes, feeling a bit bare. "When we go to the theater, I would at least prefer a seat close to the aisle. But I know there are no guarantees at being able to get a seat like that."

He held back a sigh, and smiled faintly. "But I can sit through a play from another seat, too. It will only be for an hour or two at the most, and there will be an intermission. I can do that," he promised her, before he twirled her outward and then inward again along his arm, so she ended up with her back to him, both of them facing the same way, his arm around her. "And you'll be there, to distract me," he added, whispering into her ear.

---

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

Gladhron was smiling and agreeing Tercen and Ava looked happy together. So, that was something, she supposed. His question made her blink and frown slightly at him. Was she? Happy? That wasn't really a question she asked herself, to be honest. The clarification helped, changing his earlier question entirely. "Oh," she laughed, sort of relieved his question wasn't all as existential it had first sounded. "It is definitely an improvement on my day so far," she answered, which was most assuredly true. "I'm also glad it's not just me and them," she said, nodding meaningfully at Tercen and Ava and how they were currently dancing in such a way that made it very clear (in her mind, anyway) that they were also romantically involved. "It would already have been awkward," she noted drily, before looking back at Gladhron with a smile and lightly tapping his shoulder with the hand resting there. "In other words: I'm glad you're here. Win-win, just like you said. And what about you?" she asked. "Not feeling too self-conscious with the dancing? And not feeling too fancy?" she added with a soft smile.

[Rillewen]

Private - Solo

Trainee Trastion Leithor
Dec 29th - Early morning, around dawn
4th level wall, with a NPC guard, Galudor

It wasn't a cliff, or a rocky place, like the usual spots he favored for climbing. But it was still an excellent spot for what he was doing. Trastion had discovered this spot back in September, while he had been assigned to aid the guards in patrolling the wall tops. Apparently, due to heavy rain, wind, and other harsh weather over the course of time, part of the wall top had begun to crumble. It had been discovered only this year, since this level's wall had not really sustained any damage during the battle. The repairmen had already taken care of the lower-level walls, first, and therefore were only now getting to this one.

Scaffolding had been erected, extending outward from the wall, and hugging the outer side of it, so that the repairmen could access the wall's outer edge, and work on it without having to worry about safety. When Trastion had first seen this scaffolding, back in September, he had been rather excited at the possibilities it presented. The guard he had been working alongside during that time, Galudor, had thought he was crazy when he asked if he could go out onto the scaffolding. But, seeing as the guy could find no actual rules against it, he'd shrugged and said that if Trastion wanted to risk his neck, he was welcome to it.

He'd come back there now and then, ever since then. While he didn't come here on a daily basis, Trastion did come by every now and then and make use of this spot. For extra training, he called it, though Galudor continually told him he was nuts. And since he was usually the guard on duty at the wall, when Trastion showed up, they had developed a bit of a rapport between them.

Today, since Arnyn had cancelled his usual training, Trastion found himself a little bored when he woke up at the usual time but had no morning training session to go to. So, instead, he dressed in warm layers, brought his gloves, and set out for the wall. As far as he knew, only Galudor and maybe one or two other guards were aware that he came here. He hadn't mentioned this to anyone else, especially not Arnyn. While he figured she might appreciate his dedication to training, he also could easily imagine she might disapprove and say he was being 'too risky'. And, as much as he appreciated her concern for his safety, he felt pretty confident in knowing his limits and capabilities in this regard. He'd been climbing and doing this sort of thing all his life, after all. Maybe not quite to this extent, but still. He was fine. He enjoyed a bit of extra challenge, and he never pushed himself too close to his limits, making sure he only did what he knew he could handle.

Pushing himself to his limits was for the training grounds, not here. It was one thing to accomplish twenty pull-ups in a row, hanging from a bar that was just a little above the height of his head, and then try to force himself to manage a one or two more despite his arms burning. It was entirely different while hanging 100 feet over the level below, with the wind whistling around him, and his hands growing cold and his arms trembling a bit from holding on. So, he never did more than ten, here.

But he made those ten count. After he'd done five regular pullups, he made the last five more challenging. Coming up slowly, he held himself up, then moved his torso to the right, then to the left, then lowered down. Then, he lifted his legs up to form an L shape, then slowly lowered them back down straight, and repeated the side-to-side pullup. After that, he raised his legs back into the L shape and kept them there as he did two more regular pull ups, using his core to hold his legs up in that position. Then, for the last two, he carefully let go of the bar with one hand. His arms were starting to protest. He completed one pull up with his right arm, then caught hold of the beam with both hands, hung for a moment while he made sure he had a good, strong grip with his left, then did the same with only that hand. One time with each arm.

His hands were really feeling the cold by now, and he was feeling that slight tremble in his arms, so it was time to end the pull-up portion of his workout. Bringing his legs up, Trastion hooked his knees around the beam and hung upside down, making sure he was secure before letting his arms dangle over his head, looking at the third level, upside down. The scene below was a bit dizzying, but he enjoyed the thrill of it. He quite enjoyed heights, actually.

"You are absolutely crazy, you know." Galudor's voice informed him, as the guard loitered near the scaffolding, anxiously watching while Trastion went through his routine.

A grin spread almost involuntarily onto Trastion's face. "You should try it sometime." He called up to him, amused. He began doing.. well, sit-ups wouldn't really be the right term, but he wasn't sure what else to call it. While hanging upside down, he brought his torso up toward his legs, then slowly lowered himself back to the hanging position, then repeated.

"No way," Galudor insisted, shuddering a bit. "I don't even particularly enjoy being on the wall this high up... no way would I go hanging around out there, like a bat." He declared. "You're going to break your neck one of these days, you know."

Trastion smirked slightly as he paused with his torso raised up, arms folded behind his head, and managed to look over at where Galudor was peering over the wall at him with a worried expression. "Let's hope not, or you'd probably have a lot of explaining to do." he teased, grinning. He lowered himself slowly down to hang again, taking a slow breath as he rested his muscles briefly. "Not to mention the paperwork." He added, hanging for a moment longer while he watched the remainder of the sun coming up, smiling as he enjoyed the moment.

"Ughhhh, paperwork," Galudor grumbled, shaking his head. "Are you almost done? I get nervous just watching you out there."

Trastion grabbed hold of the bar his knees were hooked over, having completed ten upside-down sit ups. "Yeah, you can relax. I'm done." He assured him, climbing back over the railing on the scaffolding, then from there, back to the wall top.

"Thank the Valar." Galudor breathed out in relief and moved back to give Trastion room to climb over the edge, to safety.

Trastion grinned, tucking his hands under his arms to warm them. "It sure is cold this morning. Good thing I brought gloves."

"Good thing your gloves didn't slip." Galudor muttered.

"If you're so nervous of heights, maybe you should ask to put be put on street patrols or something?" Trastion suggested.

Galudor scoffed. "Yeah, sure... Anyway, hope you enjoyed your crazy bat time."

"I did." Trastion assured him, grinning in amusement. "See you around Galudor." He waved to the guard as he set off for the wall stairs that would take him down to street-level again, and from there, he hastened back up toward the barracks so he'd be in time for breakfast.


(This post was inspired by a couple of videos I saw, of my cousin doing a similar thing, in RL)

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Ava
Dance tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

She was a little surprised by the more serious tone that he used when he answered her question, but Ava listened closely to his admission. The playful, teasing smile faded into a softer, more understanding one as she nodded slowly. His comment about preferring an aisle seat, and that he would sit through it for her, well, that made her feel a bit bad for teasing.

He twirled her out before she could comment any further on that though, and as he brought her back in close to him, her back to his chest, she smiled as his arm went around her. It grew slightly as he whispered that she would be there to distract him. "I think I can manage that," She promised with a little smile, angling her head just enough to see him. She debated whether to mention her thinking, then decided he might feel more comfortable about the idea. "Can the seats be reserved in advance?" She asked softly, still looking partly over her shoulder. "I also don't think I would enjoy sitting among others like that." She brought one hand up to lightly caress the side of his face, as well as she could from this angle. "And I don't want you to be uncomfortable for my sake."

---

Gladhron

Gladhron glanced toward them again and nodded, returning his gaze to her. "Yeah... I know what you mean." He smiled slightly. "I'm glad to be here, for you." He added sincerely. He really was glad to be here with her. Her reaction to his question made him a little unsure if he ought to have asked it, but thankfully the amendment seemed to help things.

He was very glad to hear that she was glad he was there. "No, I'm really glad to be here." He assured her, then guided her through a slow twirl again, smiling as he brought her back into his arms. "And glad to hear that it's an improvement on your day. But the way you say that, it sounds like it maybe wasn't such a nice day, before?" He asked, a bit concerned.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

"Good," he murmured when Ava said she thought she could manage that. "I believe they can. It depends on the performance, sometimes. I would have to check, for this particular one." He shrugged. "I didn't look into it, since I had no intention of going before you expressed your interest." No games, with him. And he was sticking to that.

Tercen smiled in response to her next words, and her fingers along his cheek. "I'll do whatever you want, Temptress," he told her. "Though I won't deny I'm glad to hear your thoughts on the matter align with my own, and that you want me to be comfortable." He gently rested his head against hers. "Did I mention... you smell particularly amazing this evening?" As if to prove a point, he breathed her in. "Even more so than usual?" he added in little more than a whisper.

---

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

It was good that he was glad to be here - but then the brief pause, and the added 'for you', was... a bit peculiar. After a moment, Arnyn assumed it was probably the strange combination of dancing together, him looking her in the eyes, and then saying something like that, that made it sound little more personal than it probably was meant to be. Her assumption was strengthened when he repeated the first part, without those last two words. He had realized how it must have sounded like, and he had corrected himself. Clearly.

Arnyn was glad that the twirl was a slow once - because that made it much less difficult on her. 'Easier' might be too strong a word - but she was glad to settle for 'less difficult'. The proper focus allowed her to keep her balance, and Gladhron wouldn't be able to notice anything off this time - not even if he were paying close attention. His question made her grimace. "Ah, well, however bad my day was, it was self inflicted," she told him at least that part of the truth. "Is that concern I spy?" she asked, trying to tease a little. "No one has nice days all the time," she added with a half smile as she looked at him. "Not even an incorrigble optimist like yourself," she continued. "Besides, my day is looking up. Maybe the evening will salvage it altogether. It's worth a shot, don't you think?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Jade
Dec 29th - Early morning, around dawn

It was easy to follow him now: every morning he emerged from the barracks at the same time. It was unexpected when he did not go over to the armoury, today, and she still wasn't certain enough to risk betting her life on this young man being the right target. The stakes were too high to make a move without being absolutely, one hundred percent sure. So. She was following him. When she could. Trying to spot more and more things, trying to learn more about this young man. Trying to erase any trace of a doubt.

Whoever he was, though - the guy was insane. From her expertly chosen hiding spot, Jade stared. Open-mouthed. As the young man started doing pull-ups, the way he was. One hundred feet above the ground. When he hooked his legs over the beam he was dangling from, and released his hands, she held her breath and her heart did a double take. Completely. Mental. Even if she'd learned to care little about targets, even potential ones - and mostly succeeded at it, barring exceptions such as Urion - her reaction to this was of a spontaneous, human nature.

If this was the kind of thing he was getting up to, however... should he prove to actually be her target... this definitely provided possibilities. Who would survive a fall from that high? Once she was sure, if he came back here, all it would take was a well placed arrow or two. Who would follow her? They would be far too shocked by the young man's fall... besides - only the wall guard was around. Another option would be to sabotage the scaffolding. Her eyes narrowed in thought as the young man was climbing back toward safety.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Ava
Dance tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

She smiled as he said he'd do whatever she wanted. A dangerous thing to say with some people, but fortunately for him, she didn't intend to abuse the power she apparently had over him. She was trying to decide whether to reply to his comment about her wanting him to be comfortable, but then he commented on her smelling amazing, and it made a grin spread across her face. "Do I?" She asked with a hint of playfulness, pretending to be surprised to hear that.

Turning then to face him, she looped her arms around his neck, smiling at him as she gazed into his eyes. "I'm glad you noticed." She whispered back, biting her lower lip lightly in amusement. For the masquerade, she had done a similar bathing routine before getting dressed, but that had been in preparation for encountering several men who would hopefully be interested in dancing with her. For tonight, she had gotten ready for a night of dancing with Tercen, and no others.

"I do wonder, though," She drew back slightly, tilting her head curiously as she pondered on this question, "While you're dancing with your sister this evening, what am I to do?" She asked, unsure quite what he had in mind for that. Maybe it would be a good time to take a break. She had never done a double date, or gone dancing, before, so she thought it might be good to find out.

---

Gladhron

Gladhron was finding it a little hard not to tell her how he felt about her, but he also had a feeling that if he did, it might make things awkward. And so, he refrained. Instead, he admired how lovely she looked, in silence. Keeping his thoughts to himself, about how well she danced, and so on. He wished he could do so much better at dancing, himself, but at least he had learned a few new things.

Hearing her reply to his question, he nodded slowly, then smiled. "Of course I'm concerned. I wouldn't want you to have a bad day, or a headache, or whatever it was that wasn't good about the day." He told her. "Were you working a lot?" He guessed, based on the fact that she'd mentioned having a lot of work and planning to do. "Should I come up to find you tomorrow, with the promised distraction?" he asked with a little grin. "Gwestion says I'm very good at being distracting." He joked, not protesting at all when she called him incorrigible.

"I'm glad it's looking up, even if it is nearing the end of it," He answered. "But in that case, we'd probably better make the best of it, right?" He grinned, then in the hope that she would go along with his lead, he gave her another slow spin out to the end of his arm, which led into the sequence that he, Tercen, and those two young girls had practiced in the park that day. Remembering Wisteria's tip about comparing the moves to things he'd use in sword fighting, he was able to move through each step smoothly, although he did go through it slowly enough to make sure that Arnyn was going to go along with the steps. And, as Tercen had done in the park, Gladhron concluded the sequence by adding in the double twirl.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

He smirked when she pretended not to know she smelled absolutely amazing. They both knew that she knew all too well. When Ava turned around to face him and put her arms around his neck, his smirk grew into a grin as he returned her gaze. Of course he had noticed. She usually smelled really nice, as it was. It was obvious she gave attention to that sort of thing. And he did not mind that she did. Not one bit. His grin faded a little as he got distracted by the way she was biting her lip, and his eyes were drawn there.

A quiet laugh escaped him when Ava wondered out loud what she was supposed to do when he would be dancing with Arnyn. "You could talk to Gladhron," he suggested, sounding very amused. "Or he might ask you to dance. Possibly." If he can get his mind off my sister for a few minutes. "If he does, and if you want to, do take into account the poor man is still a beginner?" Tercen paused, glancing around the room briefly. "Someone else might summon the courage to ask you to dance, too." Ava was definitely beautiful enough to catch attention. "I've already seen some envious glances being cast my way..."

---

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

Arnyn smiled. "You are a good friend," she told him in response to him saying he wouldn't want her to have a bad day for whatever reason. "It was a work project, but I could do it from home," she answered to his inquiry about whether she'd been working. Her smile grew a little when he asked whether he should come and distract her the next day. "You are quite skilled at providing a distraction, I have to agree with Gwestion on that one." She paused, wondering how to phrase something without making it sound wrong. "A few days ago, you brought lunch over to headquarters, and hot chocolate and dessert. I don't know what you have in mind for your next distraction - but please know I don't expect you to spend money on it. This trip must already be costing you and Gwestion quite a bit." She remembered their cash flow was not of the steadiest sort.

Besides, who was to say whether she'd be able to keep any food down tomorrow? Considering that particular circumstance, she debated whether it might be best to turn his offer down altogether. But... honestly? "I have a lot of hours scheduled at headquarters tomorrow. Most of which are just about as boring as watching grass grow. A distraction would be nice, somewhere throughout the day." Suddenly, she realized he might not have been talking about coming to headquarters. Then again, hadn't he said they were now staying at the Fifth Circle? And he had said 'come up'. So, she had probably not misunderstood after all.

When Gladhron had her turning out along his arm and then stepped up beside her, Arnyn wasn't sure what he was planning on trying. He was a beginner, wasn't he? Therefore, it took her a moment longer than it would have with Tercen to raise her hands so Gladhron could turn them both around. Just because it was... so unexpected. Arnyn fell from one surprise into the next - also trying to focus on her balance through the surprise - as Gladhron turned around by himself, then had her turning around."When did you learn this?" she asked in disbelief, just before he added the double twirl again. Which proved a bit too much for her, in her current condition. During the last twirl, she lost the battle against herself, despite her resolve. Right before Gladhron would catch her, her weight shifted the wrong way, and she lost her center of balance. In a subconscious response, she stepped to the side. As her one hand connected with Gladhron's, she grabbed onto it with a strong grip. Her other hand didn't quite make it to his shoulder, but grabbed onto his upper arm instead. It stopped their dancing, and it took a moment for her equilibrium to be restored. The realization quickly came that she would need to say something. Arnyn quickly returned her grip to normal and gave Gladhron an apologetic smile as she looked into his eyes. "You caught me off guard," she said. Which was also true. Albeit not the whole truth.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Ava
Dance tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

She was glad he seemed amused, and also that he didn't think it was a ridiculous question, and she didn't know whether his friend would ask her to dance. But the idea that someone else might ask her to dance was a bit surprising since she was so obviously here with Tercen. She took a slow glance around with a little grin, as if trying to catch one of these other fellows casting looks toward her.

Meanwhile, she was a bit amused at the way he reminded her that his friend was only a beginner at dancing. As it happened, since she was glancing around, she was looking just the right way to observe the twirling and such that he was doing with Arnyn, and raised an eyebrow. "A beginner? That looked a bit more.. complicated," She commented, nodding to direct his attention toward the other two as they went through the sequence of dance.

---

Gladhron

He couldn't help but smile when she commented on him being a good friend, then listened as she explained about her work project being something she could do from home. His smile spread to a grin, with a little laugh, when she agreed that he was good at distractions. "Well, I have always heard that if you're going to do something, you should do it well." He mentioned with a shrug, amused.

When she told him that he need not spend money on the distraction, and he smiled at her for that. It was a relief when she told him that she was scheduled for a long, dull day at headquarters tomorrow. "Alright then," He agreed. "I'll be sure and come up with something." He promised. He'd come up with something, but for now he focused on the dancing.

When he began taking her through the sequence from the park, he could tell that she was a bit confused, perhaps a bit unsure what he was doing... for a second or two, anyway. But to his relief, she figured it out soon, and he smiled when she went through it with him. The smile increased upon hearing her ask when he'd learned it. "Oh, a few days ago." He answered, trying to decide whether he should tell her any more than that.

He got a bit distracted by answering her while he led her through the double twirl, and so when she seemed to stumble, or lose her balance or something, he instantly felt bad, figuring he must have done it too fast. In an automatic reaction, as she caught his hand and gripped it while she recovered herself, his other hand hastily came out to her back and shoulder to help steady her, and offered an apologetic smile to her when she mentioned he'd caught her off guard. "Sorry, I might have done that too quickly," He answered apologetically, holding her with one arm around her, the other holding her hand. And although they had paused their dancing, he wasn't really opposed to just standing here like this for a moment longer.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Tercen
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

Tercen looked over as well, catching the end of the sequence and then most of the double twirl. He grinned. "Well, those are basically the only moves he knows," he told Ava, before leaning in to put his lips by her ear. "Courtesy of yours truly." While he didn't want to belittle Gladhron's skills, Tercen also didn't mind pulling Ava's attention back to himself rather than any other guy, even if the attention was perfectly innocent.

"Want to do a little something more complicated, as well?" he asked her, smiling as one of his hands slowly moved up and down her back. "We could. Though I should say I am not at all opposed to just... this."

---

@Rillewen

Arnyn
Third Circle, a tavern
December 29th, evening

"No, that is not..." Her words of reassurance trailed away as she wondered what other explanation she could offer. "It was not too fast," she said, after a moment. "Just - unexpected." Not that she could promise it wouldn't happen again.

"It wasn't your fault," she tried to reassure him. "Besides, nothing happened, really," she added with a shrug. She could feel the heat in her cheeks, but whether that was the belladonna or the embarrassment at her small misstep, was hard to say. Probably both. "I didn't mean to startle you," she apologized, with a faint smile, already thinking of what she could do or say to divert attention away from it. Even so, she wasn't about to start them off dancing again immediately - it wouldn't hurt to take a moment before even more turns and twirls.

She chose the obvious option. "I'm impressed, though. Did you learn from a book?" she teased lightly. "Or did someone teach you, perhaps?" She nodded meaningfully in her brother's direction, before raising a curious eyebrow at Gladhron.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Ava
Dance tavern - 3rd circle
Dec 29th, evening

Turning back to smile at Tercen, she smiled as he moved his mouth close to her ear, adding that he had taught Gladhron that. "Why am I not surprised? Since you're so good at dancing." She asked with a little smile, trying to imagine how he might have gone about teaching the other guy, and couldn't help wondering how they had practiced the moves.

His question made her tilt her head slightly, considering. "Maybe later," She suggested, deciding she also enjoyed just being here, like this. Besides, Tercen wasn't the only one getting jealous glances, she noticed, having caught glimpses of a few ladies around the room, looking at Tercen. She couldn't really blame them, but felt quite pleased to be the one to have captured his attention. Still, she didn't think it would hurt anything to establish to all others that they were together. And dancing closely like this was sure to get that message across.

---

Gladhron

Gladhron nodded slowly as she assured him that it was not his fault, but he still figured maybe he ought to have given her more warning. Especially, since she mentioned that she hadn't expected it. He smiled when she mentioned 'besides, nothing happened'. "True." He agreed, figuring she'd rather just drop it, and therefore he simply shrugged when she apologized for startling him. "No, I only thought for a moment you were going to fall, and I wanted to catch you." He admitted, explaining.

Moving back to the topic of dance, he laughed lightly when she asked if he'd learned from a book. He continued contentedly holding her as they were, moving in a slow rotation around to keep dancing. "No, not from a book this time." He answered with a little grin. At her nod toward Tercen, he gave a little shrug, smiling. He couldn't really deny it, after all. "I had help from a couple of friends, yes." He agreed, unsure he ought to mention the two girls in the park.

[Rillewen]

Private - Flashback scene

|
Aderic Androllius
Guard of the Tower Watch... with a kitten
Sundial Court Park - About 6 years ago
(Very shortly before this post)

The pitiful, shrill mewing could be heard across the park square. Ric searched all around the park before he finally located the small creature, clinging to a high branch up in a tree. Ric frowned, taking a look around. “What’s wrong, little guy?” He asked softly, stopping just under the tree branch that the frightened kitty clutched. “Can’t you get down?” He felt puzzled about how exactly it could have gotten up there, if it couldn’t also get down. Did that really happen? He had thought that cats could climb really well. Of course, he didn’t really know all that much about cats. He’d had a puppy, once, but.. not for long. And cats were very different from dogs. And this one was clearly still a baby.

The little tabby continued to cry. At last, the young guardsman decided that it really did need help. No one else was around, so that just left him. And it was his job to protect and aid the citizens, after all. Animals within the city counted as citizens too, right? With a little pang of sorrow, Ric found himself wishing Reilly was there. Reilly had talked about climbing trees, so he would’ve known what to do. But wherever his friend was, he wasn’t here. So, Ric leaned his sword against the tree and contemplated how he was going to get up that tree. He wasn’t much of a climber, and in fact, he couldn’t remember if he’d ever actually tried to climb a tree before. But that branch looked low enough, right?

Pulling himself up onto the first branch involved a bit more effort than he had expected, but he managed. “It’s alright, I’m coming,” He tried to speak in a soft, soothing voice to try and calm the frantic kitten. After getting up one more branch, Ric found himself clinging to the limb as well, feeling as if the slightest shift in the wrong direction would have him falling out of the tree, sprawled on the ground. He took a slow breath, trying to calm himself. He looked up. Only one more branch to go. It took him a few moments to find a good foothold, then carefully shifted his weight onto that foot while holding tight to the tree trunk, hugging it tight. Heart hammering, Ric tried very hard to keep from looking down while he reached one hand out to the kitten. The poor thing had its fur all fluffed up, clearly spooked and scared. “Come on, here kitty kitty?” He tried to coax it to come closer, but it only backed away, hissing softly in fright.

“No, no please, I’m here to help you.” he tried to convince it, before realizing that he probably sounded like an idiot, talking to the cat as if it could understand. But, still, no one was around. He took a slow breath, then cautiously stepped his foot out onto another limb, and held tightly onto the branch just above him. He kept his gaze on the tiny kitty while he inched his way out, carefully, along the branch. He didn’t reach for it again until he was close enough to reach a hand up from behind it. Then he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and tried to pull it off the branch. The kitten dug its claws into the branch, crying pitifully in fright. Ric sighed. “Come on, just let go, please?” Ric tried to plead, desperate to get back on solid ground again. He could feel his balance wavering, and the more the kitten resisted his efforts, the more likely it would be that he might fall.

At last, he had to reach his other hand out and manually pry the claws off of the tree bark before he got the kitten away. All the while, terrified he was going to end up falling, himself. The kitten continued to cry, even after he tucked it securely to his chest. Those claws suddenly found their way into his skin, making him cringe, but he managed not to cry out in pain. Now… to get down.

He made the mistake of glancing down. Hastily, he closed his eyes and tried to forget how far away the ground looked. He was not used to heights. Taking a slow breath, he gripped the tree branch tightly with his one free hand, while the other held the kitten close to his chest. Carefully, he inched his way back close to the tree trunk. Then, somehow, he moved back down to the next branch. For a little while, he got stuck there as he tried to figure out how to move down to the next branch down, without letting go of the kitten. It was, all this while, still crying. It had burrowed its face against him, but now it was seeking a better hiding spot. Apparently, the heights also frightened the kitten. Ric winced as he carefully pried the little claws out of his shoulder, then tucked the kitten inside his jacket. With his hands at least temporarily free, he managed to make it down to the lowest branch, then he slipped a bit in his haste.

Ric reached the ground far more hastily than he'd intended to, but fortunately, he landed on his back, not his front. "Oww," He groaned, sitting up. His hip, ribs, and shoulder on one side felt sore, and he figured he'd feel a bruised for a while. But he was relieved that he hadn't accidentally squashed the poor kitten, at least. Ric drew the little kitten out of his jacket and held it up to his chest, trying to gently stroke its head and back to try and calm it. If anything, its cries only grew louder. “What? Are you still frightened? It’s alright, see? We’re back on the ground.” He told it, trying to reassure it.

That fall must have been frightening, but none of his attempts to calm it were working. The kitten was squirming, frantically trying to get out of his hands, but he was concerned about letting it loose because he had only recently seen a couple of dogs roaming about, and he didn’t know if they were the sort that would harm a kitten. And, for all he knew, they might be what had driven the little kitty up into the tree in the first place. “No, stop that,” He chided gently, trying to hold onto the wriggling creature. “Stop, I’ll try and find your owners if you’ll just stay still, please?” He sighed, trying to cuddle the poor kitty while sitting at the base of the tree. It occurred to him that it might actually be hungry, and perhaps it was crying for its mother. Was it even old enough to be away from her, he wondered?


“What are you doing to it!”

A shout from nearby froze Ric in place. He knew that voice. It was one of the last voices he wanted to hear. Tensing, Ric looked up and saw them. Four of the Fearsome Five, heading his way with hurried steps. And they looked very angry. Two girls, two boys. He’d heard that the fifth member of the group had gone off on some sort of trip, but he didn’t know anything else about that. Still, Ric would have been outnumbered if it had only been half that number. He drew in a slow breath, trying not to panic as he hastily stood up again, holding the kitten close and wincing slightly as he stood. He was technically on duty… and he was supposed to be patrolling, so.. they wouldn’t dare mess with him, right? In fact, he should be getting on with his patrol, since he wasn’t really supposed to be taking a detour into the park. Remembering that, he turned to retrieve his sword because really, he should not have left it lying against the tree… what if someone had come along and taken it while he was up there?

“Don’t even think about it!” Arriving in front of him, Ryn shoved Ric away from the weapon, scowling fiercely. “You wouldn’t be that stupid, surely? Cause you better believe we’d report it if you started swinging a sword at us!”

Ric stumbled backward as the other, stronger young man shoved him, and he found himself partially surrounded by the others. He looked from one to the other, confused. Why were they picking on him now? He hadn’t done anything!

“How dare you hurt that poor little kitty!” Ryn’s sister, Cali, wore a matching scowl as she made a grab for the tiny creature.

Even more confused as well as a bit alarmed, Ric backed away from her hastily to prevent her from taking the kitten from him. “I beg your pardon?” He asked, staring at her in bafflement. “All I’ve done is..”

“Let the kitten go, Rip.” Trev demanded, arms folded as he stood defiantly on the other side, glowering as he prevented Ric’s escape in that direction. "I'd say I can't believe you'd stoop that low, but then.. it is you we're talking about."

“Yeah, we’re not going to let you cause any more harm to that poor baby. You should be ashamed to wear that uniform!” Cali declared, holding out her hands. “Release the kitten, you meanie!”

Ric stared at the crazy girl, then at the two crazy guys on either side of her. Behind them, Iole looked ready to burst into tears, but he could find no logical explanation for why they would be reacting like this. “I’m not hurting it,” he insisted, still cradling the kitten close to his side despite how its tiny claws dug into his skin as it tried to climb up his torso. He managed to refrain from cringing as he faced off against the Four. The kitten’s cries were still loud and shrill, and it continued wriggling.

“Oh, sure, that’s why it’s screaming in agony.” Trev retorted with a scoff.

“And trying desperately to get away from you,” Cali added, narrowing her eyes.

“Leave me alone, please!” Ric asked, ducking away from her. He was starting to wish he hadn’t come down from the tree after all. “I’m not hurting the kitten!” He insisted, amazed they would think that. “I’m only-”

“Don’t even start in with your lies!” Cali stepped closer, emboldened by the presence of her brother and the other two.

“We’ve had enough, Rip.” Ryn declared, folding his arms over his chest. “It’s bad enough how you always used to pick on us and other kids.. but now you’re torturing a helpless little kitten?”

“Torturing!?” Ric repeated, astonished. “You’re all nuts. Absolutely nuts.” Ric shook his head in amazement, baffled how they could so readily jump to the conclusion that he was harming the kitten just because it was crying and wriggling. “I’m not doing any harm to anyone,” He insisted, trying to sound unintimidated by them. Just at that moment, the kitten let out an especially shrill, wailing cry.

“Stop it!” Cali cried out, rushing forward to try and take the kitten forcibly. “Let go, you’re hurting it!”

Surprised, Ric had no time to think how to react. He heard the others calling out, warnings to Cali to be careful, warnings to him not to harm her, and so on, but it all sort of mingled together, and things happened very fast as Cali grabbed his arm and tried to wrangle the kitten out of his grasp. All he heard with any clarity was Cali’s determined, strained order, “Let.. go!” Before he knew what was happening, Ric glimpsed a fist coming for his face. Stars burst into his vision, and he hit the ground, stunned. Dimly, he heard Ryn exclaim, “Cali!” but the half-scolding tone was completely undermined by his and the other's amused laughter.

Slightly dazed, it took Ric a moment to recover. He brought a hand up to the side of his face, groaning as he slowly lifted his head, looking over at them. His eye was throbbing. Cali had retreated swiftly, kitten now in her possession. The two girls were fawning over the kitten, which still continued crying. Ryn and Trev were both laughing, until they saw Ric starting to sit up. Ryn moved to stand defensively between him and the rest, glowering over Ric. “You just stay down there,” He warned him in a stern tone, pointing at him warningly. “Don’t even think about trying anything.” He declared.

“Yeah, keep quiet, and maybe we won't report you for animal abuse… “ Cali glared accusingly at him.

“Or neglecting your post.” Trev added, motioning around the park. “What, couldn’t find any kids in the playground to bully, so you attacked a helpless kitten instead?”

“Be glad we’re letting this matter slide, this time.” Ryn declared, still glaring down at Ric. “Come on guys, let’s get out of here before he comes up with some sort of lies to use to arrest us.” He turned and herded the group hastily out of the park.

Ric stared after them in a state of bewildered astonishment, mingled with sadness. He couldn’t understand why they disliked him so much. All he had ever done was try to be friends with them, and then they made accusations like this. Then they acted like he was the one picking on them! And did they actually think he was going to report this? While he probably would be within his rights to charge them with assault on a guard… he wasn’t about to mention this incident to anyone, for it would mean having to admit that he’d been punched, and even briefly knocked out, by a girl. His fellow guards would never let him live that down, and he didn't really want to be teased about that. They'd never take into consideration the fact that this girl was not like most.

Slowly, with one hand cupped lightly over his sore eye, Ric got to his feet, sighing heavily. He winced slightly as he brushed the dust off his uniform, then retrieved his sword. As he strapped it back on, with a little wince, he took another glance around the area to check that he was alone. Thankfully, no one else was around to have witnessed the whole scene. It was as if the Four had swooped in out of nowhere just to attack and accuse him, and now they had hastened on their way before anyone could catch them.

As he set out to resume his patrol rounds, Ric decided that if anyone asked about his eye, he would just say that he'd slipped and fell out of the tree while trying to help a kitten. It wasn't a lie, at least. Hopefully, no one would ask for any more details. With Reilly gone, there weren’t very many people who would, and he wasn't very eager to talk about this. Not knowing how significant this incident would later prove to be for all of them, Ric sighed and exited the park, his eye already turning purplish.


OOC: No kittens were harmed in the making of this post
(Iole in the background was checked and approved by Ercassie)