Minas Tirith Streets and Levels (Free RP)

[Ercassie]

Addhor and Domanol Raxëlilta
First circle - Home. Many years ago now.
Private. Post 1 of 2.

By the time they'd reached the last gate before home, Addhor was convinced that Domanol had dropped more of the contents of his bucket than he'd ever collected in the first place. It wasn't deliberate of course. The boy's natural exuberance put him in an impossibly animated state. Every hour of every day. His elder brother could not ever recall being so .. lively. Fidgety .. even when he had been that small. But then he hadn't had an elder brother to exasperate.

Even before the gateguard asked if they had anything to declare, Dom had given up his bucket, with the sort of pride that suggested it contained jewels instead of weeds. It had been the same at every gate they'd been allowed to pass back down through, every day this week.

"That looks twice as much as yesterday," the guard supposed, even as his fellow sentry rolled eyes in the waning sun.

"He didn't spill as much of it today " the older of the young boys sighed. To be honest, they might have gathered more today than the rest of the week. This had been the last chance. The nettles and the dandelions could bolster several meals. Maybe the apothecary would buy some ? The cleavers, the plantain, ... it was all better than nothing. It would have been better if they'd been paid for their trouble. Rather than just entrusted to dispose of the 'waste'. A few pretty flowers to brighten the table would not make up for what the picking of those irreplaceable flowers had cost them. At least he'd managed to impress upon his sibling to not swing his load about so excitedly. Still there was so much cleavers stuck all over the smaller boy he might have worn clothes of the stuff !



"Your mother is going to love such a pretty bouquet," the surlier guard mentioned, waving then through and on their way. Whether it was patronising or sarcastic, neither of the children refuted the opinion, even though they both knew full well it was not a bouquet that their mother needed. Even if Domanol had been so especially helpful today that he'd picked almost as many flowers as weeds. On the day they would have otherwise been paid for their labour.

Instead of even a meagre amount of coin to hand to their frazzled, stressed out mother, so that she could maybe get some sleep at night, instead they had lost the custom of a repeat but now disappointed customer. With nothing but sore muscles and buckets, even pockets, full of garden waste to show for it. Add found himself revisiting the hindsight yet again, that he ought to have left Dom at home. But their mother was working extra late this week, the neighbour next door wasn't well so their favourite babysitter already had her hands full, and the last time he'd left Dom unattended ... it had been more than a few flowers his brother had managed to ruin. They really could not afford any more repairs or compensation right now.


"There's so much. Mother will be really happy," the younger boy assumed though. It made a difference, those three years. Domanol had no idea what was truly at stake here. To be fair, his mother and brother protected him from it as much as they could. Often there had been moments they felt that he should understand, why they got so cross when he did things that made it all a whole lot harder, because he simply didn't understand. But unless they truly did dig up some jewels in the soil, he would figure it out sooner rather than later. Times were hard. It was the same for every family on the First. First reached, last served, some said. But there were always ways to get along, if you were bold enough.



As they arrived at home, Addhor began to mentally count up how much they were short. He didn't even know. But it was enough. Or rather, he knew they did not have enough. He'd sold his books to the nice man in the market. He'd tried his hardest to work a job. He wasn't old enough, not tall enough, not strong enough. And so all that he could earn would probably have never been enough.

There was only one person that folks on the First circle went to, when there was no other option left. If they did not wish to steal that is, or find themselves out on the street. It was dangerous. But maybe .. just maybe old Narohtar would feel sorry for him. Or be kinder than he sounded in all of the stories that were told. Horror stories.


"Put those out on the table and go play. In the garden only," he advised his brother, once they'd let themselves in.

"I'm going to wash them. And put them in a jar," his brother of course entirely ignored what he'd been told.

"You broke the jar last night," Add was forced to remind him. "I'll sort them when I get back. Stay in the garden. Alright ? I won't be long." he didn't imagine it would take long. He was used to hearing "No". It hadn't taken yet though. He had to at least try. And the fact that mother had said she would absolutely never resort to .. well. Now she wouldn't have to.


"Where are you going ?" Of course Dom was not going to take instructions at face value. The younger brother was already preparing to ask if he could come along, when he received the look. Dom was used to hearing "No" as well. It had not taken in him any more than it had in his brother. Stubborn, mother said. It came from their father. They had to take her word for that of course. And there never came any more talk after that. Just awkward, sad, quiet.

"You don't need to know where I'm going," Addhor faced his brother's unquenchable curiosity. "I'm going to talk to a friend," he put in as a second thought. "From school. About homework," The lies were coming thick and fast now. But at least the alibi had bored his brother out of any more questions.

"You don't have any friends," Dom reminded him. Which didn't hurt any less because it was true. He didn't have time for friends. Or fun. An arm extended quietly in the direction of the back door. And utterly oblivious to whether he had hurt his brother's feelings with the truth, the younger boy gambled out to fight the giant tree with the most dangerous stick he could find at its roots. Because he was absolutely not allowed to try and climb it. Again. Recalling that incident, Addhor found yet another cause to hasten.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Macardil
January 2nd, afternoon
Himhathol residence, 5th level

Arnyn was out of town at present? Ah, but the Lieutenant was set to return by tomorrow morning, at the latest. That was good information to have, if indeed he decided on talking to her himself. Macardil was almost amused at Trastion's next words. "Leaving sometime after that," he repeated slowly, "to... do... something else." He raised his eyebrows. "Intriguing," was his response, but neither Eryn nor Trastion would be able to tell whether he was any the wiser.

Surprised at the trainee's suggestion, Macardil nevertheless lowered the sack once more. "If you wish," he agreed. He had not expected one stranger to trust another so readily. For Trastion did not know him. Then again, perhaps it was enough for the young man to know that Macardil was a friend of Eryn's father.

After they had left the house and had walked down to the Fourth Circle, Trastion surprised Macardil a second time - by asking if Kaylin had mentioned him. Because she surely had not. And neither had Arnyn, whom Trastion mentioned with his next breath. Not answering right away, however, seemed not to make much of a difference. Trastion soon delivered the reason himself. He frowned. They had not been able to find anyone willing to train Trastion in the axe? Since when did 'willingness' have much to do with anything? Were rangers no longer given assignments? Yet Macardil soon banished the confusion from his expression.

"The Lieutenant has not spoken to me," he confirmed, for Trastion's sake. "And I must admit, it is taking me off guard that she would agree for me to train you with the weapon. Surely, there must be currently active Pelecconner who would be more suitable trainers," he mused aloud, going over a few names mentally even as he did so. Then again... most of those... were definitely of the... gruffer... sort. Perhaps Arnyn deemed Trastion fared better under a different approach?

As he deliberated, he thought not only of the other axewielders among the rangers, but also of his own schedule and social activities. "What would be the expected frequency of such a training schedule?" he decided to inquire, before committing or refusing.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Trastion | Eryn
January 2nd, afternoon
Walking from 4th level to 3rd level

Trastion didn't comment on how he had ended his statement. Obviously, it could have been better. But he couldn't exactly take it back now, and at least it didn't reveal anything he shouldn't have told. So, whatever. He left it at that, and let the topic move on.

Eryn bit her lip lightly in amusement at how Macardil repeated the words. She had to wonder what he might be thinking about it, because, of course, Eryn knew what Trastion was referring to. Her dad would be going along on that trip. And she figured Macardil almost had to know something about it, right? At least as much as Eryn knew? But by his response, she couldn't tell, and she didn't say anything, because it wasn't her place to do that. While they talked, they passed through another gate, and continued along the road through the third circle.

Trastion couldn't say he was very surprised when Macardil revealed that he had not heard from the lieutenant, because... well, she was extremely busy. And people couldn't expect her to do everything, right? So he nodded slightly when he heard that, and then let out a little sigh when he asked if there were not any active Peleconners. "Well, I had a couple of lesson, months ago," He mentioned with a little frown. "And that Peleconner, I thought, was going to start training me and the other trainee who was there. But then.. she sort of vanished," He explained. "I'm not sure, but I think maybe she went traveling, or maybe she had some sort of family thing come up.. I don't know. All I know is that she disappeared and I haven't been able to find anyone with the time or willingness to help me learn this skill. Every time I've asked any of the Peleconners, they're too busy, or they're about to leave town, or.. whatever." Maybe it was excuses, he wasn't sure. But he did know that many rangers would be joining the upcoming mission, so that would still leave no one really to train him. "So, I've just been trying to practice stuff on my own. But it.. isn't working out so well."

As for schedule... "Arnyn is making a schedule for me to follow while she's away. She said that if you agreed, and if you can do it, that she'd work that into the schedule. So, that sounds like it would be according to your availability, not mine." He assured him. After a moment's pause, he added, "Also.. I do want to mention that I did not walk with Eryn, so that I could ask you about that. I had no idea that you were the person she was coming to talk to," He said with a little smile. "But when I realized that you were the very same guy whom Kaylin had recommended... I thought I might as well ask." He explained.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Macardil
January 2nd, afternoon
Himhathol residence, 5th level

Macardil did not have to feign interest when Trastion spoke of his previous attempts at axe instruction. He could more or less imagine the way some of the other Pelecconner might have reacted to Trastion's... questions. And he wondered whether Arnyn Dealedwen's clear lack of intervention on Trastion's part... was intentional. The notion made one corner of his mouth quirk upward.

"I see," was all he had to say of the matter, once Trastion had finished. "Well. I suppose I might be able to fit you in. Say, once a week. Fourth day of the week. Early afternoons." He slanted his head, regarding Trastion calmly, before he drew to a halt and offered the young man his hand. "Are we in agreement?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Trastion | Eryn
January 2nd, afternoon
Walking from 4th level to 3rd level

It was hard to be sure what the guy thought about this, but Trastion was really hoping he would agree to the training. He was getting pretty frustrated at his own lack of success with this thing, and he wasn't really sure what to do if he couldn't find a trainer. So, it was hopeful, at last, to hear Macardil say that he supposed he might be able to fit him in. And then proceeded, without even a hesitation, to suggest what time of day, which day of the week, and how many times a week, would work best for him. For a second, Trastion was a little caught off guard by how readily he had come up with that, but then he grinned in relief and happily took his offered hand for a handshake. "Thank you, sir. I believe that will work quite well." He answered. After a brief pause as they began walking again, he added, "I appreciate it very much."

Eryn had kept quiet while they spoke, figuring out wasn’t really any of her business. Soon, they passed the gate into the second level, and she led the way down the main street. As they walked, she was trying to gauge how much time had passed since she and Trastion had left the shop. As well as she could figure, they still had plenty of time before the place was due to close. But she still didn't want to risk it, so she was keeping to a brisk walk. She had faith that both Trastion and Macardil would have no trouble keeping up with her pace, them both being taller than her.

At last, she turned onto a side street that veered toward a less populated area of the market. Possibly, where some of the shadier businesses might be found, but Eryn wouldn't really know much about such things, herself. She had simply come here looking to find out if her necklace could have ended up there. "Here's the place," She spoke up again as they approached the shop, slowing her pace slightly, now that they were almost there.

(Continued here)

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

|
December 21st - Early Evening
(The night of the Midwinter Masquerade Ball)
A solo follow-up of this post

There was nothing out of the ordinary about the ship that pulled into the harbor at Harlond. It was a Gondorian ship, bearing Gondorian flags. They paid the proper fees to the harbor master, and gained permission to remain there for a week’s time. A couple of richly dressed men disembarked, both of them wearing masks and obviously dressed for the Midwinter masquerade ball occurring this night. They were of differing ages, one looking as if he could be the other’s father, perhaps, or at least in that same generation. The other was a young man, apparently in his early twenties. Together, they entered a carriage that was waiting for them, which then set off toward the city.

They encountered no issues with passing through the gate through the Rammas, nor the Main Gate into the city. Once they were through the gate, the carriage rolled on down the street for some distance before the younger man signaled to the driver to stop.

“Is this the place?” Jay asked. Sure, he could’ve found the place by following the address that his captain had sent him with, but when chance provided someone who could take him right to it more easily, then he wasn’t about to pass that up. In a stealth mission like this, the quicker he could get in and out, the better. And without Mar, he wouldn’t have had the carriage to ride in, either. He adjusted the ties on his mask to make sure that it was secure. It covered his entire face, and it was not the sort of thing he was used to wearing. But it had been amazingly effective at preventing the guards from recognizing his face from any posters that might exist featuring his likeness. And the elaborate carriage they rode in, provided by Mar, had helped in deterring them from conducting a more thorough search of the apparently rich, likely important, men coming to town.

“We’re close.” Mar answered, before returning his attention to the driver. “Pull into that alley there, and wait,” he instructed, pointing. The carriage was soon out of sight from the street. The supposed masquerade-attendees both stepped out of the carriage, walking down the street for a few blocks. “There.” The younger pointed out which house the pirate was seeking. “You’ll find the treehouse in the backyard, sort of between those two houses. But be careful,” He warned. “Last I heard, that one there had been bought by a guard. A real stickler for the rules or something.” He scoffed, while pointing out one of the two houses that shared a backyard as well as the treehouse.

“Great.” The reply was laced with sarcasm.

“He usually works night shift, though, if that’s any consolation.” A smirk of amusement was almost audible in Mar’s voice.

“Right. Well, I’ll only be a moment.” Jay sighed, then pulled his hood up. His errand wouldn’t take long. The note Dev had written was in his pocket, and the tree conveniently had boards nailed into the trunk to form a sturdy ladder, which aided his ascent up into the treehouse.

Mar watched him move toward the shadows between the street lamps, until the man in his dark outfit seemed to blend with the shadows. Once he could no longer watch his companion's progress toward his enemy's home, Mar returned to the carriage, inwardly a little disappointed that it appeared like no one was home. Which meant that there would be nothing of interest to observe, here.

It was only a few minutes before Jay rejoined his companion in the carriage, which still waited in the alley. “Well, that’s done." He declared with a sigh of relief. "He better take the bait." He muttered. The last attempt at something like this had failed, but maybe this time would work.

“Any trouble?” Mar inquired, though not really out of concern. He didn't need any trouble to get tied to him, and end up messing with his own plans.

“None. The place is all quiet.” Jay frowned. “In fact, I don’t even think anyone was at home, in either place.”

“I thought so, too." Mar agreed. "Probably at the ball.” He sighed. Too bad. He would’ve suggested grabbing the kid, if he’d been there. Give his brother more reason to come. That plan had almost worked at the joust, but then something went wrong. At a signal from him, the carriage continued on its way up to the next circle.

“Well, what now?” Jay asked. “We can’t exactly take the carriage back out, so soon after arriving, can we?” He asked, frowning. “I mean, that’d look suspicious, wouldn’t it?” The gate guards may have been a bit lax in letting the pair of "noblemen" through the gate without a search, but they might raise eyebrows if that same carriage left about ten minutes after arriving.

“You can do whatever you like.” Mar answered. “I still have some errands to accomplish. I need to talk to Nitirzor...” He paused, sitting back on the cushions as he looked across at the other man. “Perhaps you should attend the dance for a little while?” He suggested, deciding he didn't really want Jay to accompany him.

“Attend the dance?” Jay repeated, staring at the young man as if he’d lost his mind. “With all the guards probably swarming around the place?”

Mar held up the public invitation, which had been sent in general all over the realm of Gondor, and waved it in the air. “Masks are required. Remember?” He pointed out. They both had full masks on, covering the entire face of them each. “You’ll be fine. Dance with some pretty ladies, have some delicious food, enjoy the free drinks, and take the carriage when you want to go back to Harlond.”

Jay sat back his own seat, frowning at him even though his face couldn’t be seen. “That does sound intriguing…” He admitted. “But I think I’ll pass. Sounds a little too risky, to me.”

“What’ll you do, then?” Mar wondered, tilting his head curiously.

Jay gave a little grin, although his mask hid it. “Oh, I dunno. There’s lots of rich folk who’ve come into town for this, right? Maybe I’ll have a look around the inns, see what I can find...”

Mar laughed lightly. “Well, don’t get caught.” He warned. Looking out of the window as they paused at yet another gate, he observed that it was the fourth one. This was where he would get off, once they were out of sight of the gate guards. “When you’re ready to leave the city, just tell the driver and he'll take you.” He told Jay. He would not be using the carriage when he left, so he'd let Jay use it to make his exit. “Good luck.” He signaled to the driver once they’d cleared the gate, and the carriage pulled into an alley.

“You’re not going to the dance?” Jay asked, a little surprised, since he had thought that Mar would have been interested in attending it. It seemed like the sort of thing he'd want to attend.

“I have other business to take care of first, but if time allows afterward… maybe.” He shrugged, a little undecided as yet. “Tell your captain that if anyone needs to get a message to me while I'm still here, go to the butcher's shop on this street, and ask if they sell cat meat." He smiled to himself at a private joke that existed there. “Someone will arrange to get the message to me. But that is only to be used if it’s important.” He warned, waiting until he saw the other man nod in confirmation that he understood. Then he got out of the carriage, wrapping his cloak around him as if it were a shield against the cold. He stepped back, watching as the carriage continued onward, toward the fifth gate. It made sense that if Jay was going to do a bit of thievery, he might as well do it in the richest circle of the city.

Once the carriage was out of sight, Mar hastened along his way in the opposite direction toward the house inhabited by his young friend, Nitirzor, taking the back streets as much as possible. Of course, for all he knew, the young man might have gone to the masquerade to enjoy the evening. But he hoped to find him at home, so he could find out what the latest news was around the city, and a few other things he needed to discuss with him. He had a feeling he might be sticking around here for a couple of weeks still, but after he had concluded his business in Minas Tirith, he had some things to take care of at the estate. But first.. he had to take care of things, here.

[Rillewen]

Private / Solo

Sofia Nerennia & The Arrogant Customer
December 21st-22nd
(The night of the masquerade)
The Seven Bells Inn/Tavern

The masquerade had been big news for weeks, even months. Sofia had thought about going, thinking it might be fun to dress up nice, dance with some random strangers, enjoy free food, and not to mention the drinks. She already had a few ideas in mind for what sort of costume she might go in, too. She liked fire, so why not use it for inspiration on her costume? That would be fun, right?

But then she got the bad news. Because she’d had the last holiday off, she had to work for this one.. the late shift. Her Midwinter night would be spent at the Bells, probably bored to death because everyone would be at the masquerade, right? There was only Sofia and one other girl scheduled for the late shift tonight, while a couple other girls got the early shift. They would get to be done with work in time to still attend the ball.. but not Sofia and Maribel. That was the owner's way of trying to be fair and let as many of them as possible have the opportunity to attend the ball... but the only way to allow all of them to go, would be to close early. And he was apparently not willing to do that. Sofia considered claiming to get sick, but.. to be honest, she needed the money. So, she went to work, while everyone else was preparing to go have fun at the dance.

But apparently, not everyone was at the ball. There were a surprising number of regulars who had come here tonight, rather than attending the ball. She was glad that she wasn't the only one working, after all. The early and late shift had a bit of overlap, so that the time period expected to be the busiest would have the most girls working at that time. So, when she arrived, she found that the early shift girls were rather outnumbered by customers, all of whom wanted the attention of the pretty girls. Things calmed a little bit once the second shift arrived, and there were more girls to go around and keep the customers company.

It was shortly after Sofia's shift started when the stranger walked in, while she was taking a tray of drinks over to a table. He was dressed for the masquerade, and he looked kind of rich. He nearly bumped into her as he swaggered over to the counter. At first, Sofia assumed he was lost and wanted directions to the big Midwinter dance. The night was quite young, after all! The masquerade had only been going for... what, an hour? Or less. Diona and the other early-shift girls were still here, so it couldn't have been all that late into the evening. Setting down the tray with a cheery smile, she excused herself from joining those fellows, and went to see if she could help the new guy.

But when she came over to asked what he'd like to drink, Sofia noticed the splash of red across the white jacket he wore. He was also already drunk. Even without the stains, where he’d apparently spilled wine on himself, it was pretty obvious in how he walked, and talked, that he'd already had a lot to drink. It was also obvious, in the way that he talked, that he'd had some sort of posh upbringing.

"What'll you have?" She asked cheerily. "If you're looking for the masquerade, you're on the wrong level," she added with a laugh.

He leaned on the counter, looking a bit unsteady on his feet. He gave Sofia a lingering look up and down and grinned. “Wow. Are you an option? You’re... real pretty.” He declared, his speech a little slurred with his drunkeness. “I heeeard that thish place ish where people go.. when they wanna have a.. gooood time.” He grinned at the implication of that, as his eyes roamed Sofia’s figure, lingering on her cleavage. “I wanna have a real good time.”

It was a challenge not to laugh and roll her eyes. "Well, how about a few drinks first, huh?" She suggested, motioning him to come with her to a table. When she saw how he staggered after her, Sofia caught his hand and pulled his arm around her shoulders, leading him over to a table with a little eyeroll.

Along the way, his hand 'accidentally' brushed the strap of her dress off her shoulder, and he leaned a little more on her than she felt was necessary, but she didn't comment.

“Let me guess, you weren’t having enough fun at the masquerade, so you came here for a uh.. different sort of fun?” She guessed as she sat him down at a table, and glanced him over with a little laugh while she took the seat next to him.

“Pff, fun.” He scoffed. “Sure, t'was kinda fun for a bit,” He conceded, leaning his arm on the table. “But not the same kind of fun.” He reached out to toy with a tendril of her hair, smiling. “You’re really pretty, you know? I bet you wouldn’t throw wine at me, huh?” He grinned as he caught her wrist lightly and tried to tug her into his lap.

Sofia pulled her wrist from his grasp with a little laugh as she ignored his lustful glances. “Is that what happened?” She gestured to his jacket. “Who’d wanna throw wine at you?” She was really curious, now! What bold lady had done this hilarious deed? “Wanna tell me about it?” She suggested, leaning closer a bit eagerly.

“Not ‘specially,” He answered, then scooted his chair closer to hers. “Let’s just say.. there was a woman there who wasn’t as nice as you.” He murmured, moving in to kiss her.

“Aww, how rude.” Sofia leaned away slightly to avoid the kiss, and instead sat back. “Did she have any reason? Was it an accident?” She wondered, eyes widening curiously.

“No, none at all.” He pouted, reaching up to stroke her hair. “All I did was ask her to dance, and she flung her glass at me.” He scoffed.

Somehow, Sofia found that doubtful. But she nodded and held in her giggles. "I won't get to go to the masquerade," She said with a bit of disappointment. "What was it like?"

The masked young man shrugged. "Music, food, dancing.." He paused, then grinned. “If you wanna dance, you just found the best partner in town.” He declared smugly.

“Oh, really?” Sofia laughed at the arrogance of this guy.

“Really,” He declared.

"Maybe later... but first, how about some wine?" She suggested. The boss did like for them to get the customers to spend money, after all. And this seemed like a guy who could afford the good stuff.

“Mm, excellent idea.” He decided with a nod. Turning slightly in his seat, he waved at the bartender. “A bottle of your best wine,” He demanded. “And two glasses. Right away!” He grinned at Sofia. “Don’t worry, I can afford it.” He assured her smugly. “I got plenty of money.”

"Oh, I'm sure." Sofia agreed, glancing around, and caught her friend Diona's attention. They could definitely have some fun teasing this fellow... and he seemed like he was too drunk to even realize it, if they weren't too obvious about making fun of him.

A drunk customer would have been fine. In fact, most of their customers ended up drunk by the time they left here. And it wasn't the first time a fellow had arrived already drunk, either. But this arrogant fellow quickly made it known that he thought he was the Valar's gift to women. It was fun, teasing the guy and all, as long as the other girls were around.

But before long, it was time for the early shift girls to leave. That left just Sofia and one other girl to manage the chaos here. Between him, and the other fellows, and the fact that there were only two 'Bells' working that night, there was far more chaos than usual. Several fights broke out, mostly because more than one guy wanted the girl's attention to themselves. And while it was flattering, in a way, to have guys fighting over her, it was growing a bit tiresome by the time the fifth argument broke out. She looked around at that point, and couldn't see Maribel anywhere. She wouldn't be surprised to find that the other woman had slipped off to a room with one of the men, but that left Sofia here to deal with this crazy crowd all by herself until she returned.

The best thing Sofia found to do, when things started getting too uproarious, and the tavern's patrons began to fight over which one of them she would sit with and keep them company, was to step up on the stage and start singing and dancing. Provide entertainment for them all, so that no one felt left out. It seemed like the night would never end. Although it was fun in its usual, chaotic way, Sofia definitely preferred to not be the only one here. At some point, Maribel finally returned and Sofia had a little help. Then the collective group decided to have their own version of a 'ball', which involved a lot of lively dancing and switching partners frequently, with lots of drinking and laughing and singing. The two girls did their best to dance with everyone at least once, but there were still some arguments that popped up as some of these more rowdy fellows didn't agree about what was fair and whose turn it was to dance with one of the girls, and so on.

Miraculously, nothing got so out of hand that the guards had to be called, and the patrons of the Bells still enjoyed the evening despite all of the fighting that broke out, off and on and late into the night. One could say they'd had a wild party, but whatever you wanted to call it, the tavern part of the inn was an absolute mess by the time the Bells closed its doors for the night, sending all of the customers on their way, except for any who were paying for a room for the night.

As for Sofia, she'd had more than usual to drink by the time the 'party' came to an end. She was half-tempted to stay here, in one of the rooms, and sleep it off. But then, she also wanted to change into something more comfortable to sleep. And she'd want to have a new dress for tomorrow's shift, too. So, with a sigh, she wrapped her cloak around her and set off for the long walk home, alone. In the cold. In the dark. To a quiet, empty house. It was a shocking contrast to the sort of job she'd chosen to work, she thought with a faint huff of amusement.


(continued here)

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Macardil
January 2nd, afternoon
Walking back up the city circles

"Yes," Macardil confirmed to Eryn. "He is. My wife and I recently went to Lossarnach and we encountered him there. He has come with us to the White City," he revealed, without adding any details that might be considered too personal or which would lead to a multitude of questions he did not wish to answer. Yet, there was one thing he would probably not be able to escape sharing, and which would likely invite further questions. "He is currently staying at the Houses of Healing." A brief pause. "For personal reasons." There. That basically stated he was unwilling to delve into the topic, did it not?

He lapsed into silence, then, letting Eryn and Trastion talk among themselves if they were so inclined. As for Macardil, he was mostly lost in thought, and would only be pulled out of them in case he was asked more direct questions. Once they returned to the Himathol residence, he insisted on carrying one of the bags, as he had already tried earlier. It did not look like Eryn was planning on turning back to the Pelennor. She was keeping a close eye on the dagger she had handed over to Trastion.
But Macardil was preoccupied. What would Halberion say? Should he go and speak of this to the Captain or Lieutenant? It was Arnyn who knew the most about the situation, as far as he knew at present - but Arnyn was also not in town today. And if he was already at the Sixth... then again, it was not far from the house to the Sixth. He could just as easily leave her a message today, and return upon the morrow.

As they were closing in on the Sixth Circle, Macardil glanced at Trastion. "I think it will be best if I speak with your mentor, when she returns tomorrow. I would rather share these developments with her, than with the Tower Guard." Macardil did not appreciate that, evidently, the Guard Captain had reported against Ziran to her command. He would prefer not to encounter the man anytime soon, if he could help it. Besides, the Guard Captain himself might also prefer a message or visit from the Lieutenant, compared to a visit from Macardil, given the officer's response to his wife.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Trastion | Eryn
January 2nd, late afternoon
Walking from 2nd level to 6th level

Eryn was a bit surprised to learn that his friend was staying at the houses of healing. Because she worked there. She wondered if she'd met the guy? But then, there were plenty of patients whom she hadn't met, mostly because the apprentices were put to work wherever they were needed, or sent where they could learn something useful. She was curious, of course, but the way he said 'personal reasons' suggested maybe she shouldn't ask. So, she just nodded and let it go. But she did mentally file away the fact that he must have been referring to the trip he'd just gotten back from. So, maybe the reason she probably hadn't met the patient, was because he was new there.

She kept quiet for the rest of the way, having nothing really to say that hadn't already been said. She still could hardly believe that she'd actually found the items that had been hidden in that cellar. And while a part of her still felt that they probably should report this find to the guards, a bigger part fought against that, for the reasons that she'd stated. The whole walk back, she was thinking about that, and ultimately decided that the case against that creep was solid enough without these items. She was a witness, after all! And if they absolutely had to produce them and the guards questioned where they came from, both Trastion and Macardil could attest to how the items had been found and all that. And so could the pawn shop keeper. Who could also tell them about the man who sold them. After walking back up to the fifth level, a second time, she was certainly not feeling cold, except maybe her face. But she wasn't out of breath or anything, like someone might be who wasn't used to the city.

Trastion was a little surprised, upon reaching Macardil's house to reclaim his apples and carrots, that he insisted on carrying one of them. The man hardly knew him, after all. But he appreciated it, since it made it easier to hold the dagger with one hand, and the apples with the other. "Thanks." He responded, with a nod of agreement. He was actually already trying to think of where he would put them, actually. Because he wasn't sure whether he could get away with stashing them in his dorm. Maybe? If he tucked them into the chest at the foot of his bed, and covered the bags with clothes and stuff. Or, he could stash them in the tack room, he supposed. That might make a bit more sense, and it'd be more accessible when he went to the stable to tend to the horses. Right, good idea.

He nodded thoughtfully as Macardil explained that he'd rather share this development with Arnyn, than with the guard captain. "That makes sense," He agreed.

"Yes, that's a good idea!" Eryn nodded. "I was going to tell her right away, but Trastion said she wasn't here. So, I went to you, since I figured you could at least say for sure if that ring belonged to who I thought."

They passed through the gate to the sixth level, at last. Eryn was honestly a bit relieved that out of all the gate guards they had to pass, Dom's friend Thorley was apparently not on duty right now. She had a strong suspicion that if he had been, he would have confiscated the dagger or something. According to Nal, he seemed to enjoy doing that sort of thing, and then making people fill out ridiculously long release forms just to get their things back.

"I hope Cali hasn't left yet," Trastion mentioned, trying to get an idea of the time by looking up at the sky. But in the winter, it got dark fairly early in the afternoon, and it was difficult to be sure about the time.

"I think she has," Eryn answered, nodding ahead down the street toward a young woman, wrapped in a coat and scarf, walking toward the gate that they had recently passed through. "Cali?" She called, waving an arm to catch her attention.

---

Cali Dringolben
January 2nd, late afternoon
6th level, heading toward the gate

She'd stayed a bit longer than she probably should have, but there was a reason. Cali had been in the middle of a project, which she needed to have finished by tomorrow. Because Iole's birthday was tomorrow. And while she probably wasn't technically supposed to use the ranger's forge to make stuff for personal projects, all the materials she'd used for it, were her own. So she'd stayed and worked on it until she finally finished. But that meant she was going to be notably later coming home than usual.

It was curious, then, when she heard her name and looked up. There was a trio of people, walking her way. She would have assumed that they were heading for the ranger buildings, and that they'd pass her or something, except for seeing one of them wave, and calling her name. Cali recognized that voice though. It was Eryn. And while it was a bit too dark to tell from this distance who the other two were, she shifted her course slightly so that, rather than passing them, she'd meet up with them.

Once she was close enough to see faces, it was clear that one was Trastion. And the other.. Macardil. Surprising, seeing him with the other two. She had met him the first time when he came to let her know that Trev was home at last. And of course, Trev continued to hang out with him, so she recognized him easily enough. "Hello, Eryn, Trastion, Macardil." She greeted them with a friendly smile, in the order in which she recognized them. "If you're needing something repaired, I just shut down the forge for the night, so you'll have to come back in the morning." She informed Trastion.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Macardil
January 2nd, afternoon
Sixth Circle

Macardil held back a joke at how he had been Eryn's 'second choice', for Erynneth did not nearly know him well enough to discern when he was serious or not - especially since Macardil enjoyed his jokes with as straight a face as possible. Thus, instead one corner of his mouth lifted minutely, and he nodded. "Yes, thank you," he simply said honestly. He was grateful that Erynneth had decided to come to him upon hearing Arnyn was not at the city. For Macardil also did not know Arnyn well enough to be certain of what the Ranger Lieutenant might have done with that information. Or the ring. And now, he had the ring. Which meant it would be returned to its rightful owner as swiftly as possible.

As they walked, Macardil was pondering on the differences between being in the company of two very young adults such as Erynneth Raedor and Trastion, as compared to more mature adults such as Ziran and Halberion. He enjoyed being around Trevadir, but he rarely spent much time with more than one such a young person. However, the lord was mostly left wondering whether or not younger people more easily 'aged' up their behaviour when they were alone with him, as opposed to when there was additional younger company around. For Eryn and Trastion hardly spoke either, and thus Macardil had little input to form an impression any which way.

The encounter with Cali was almost too much of a coincidence. Yet, there the smith was, approaching them very approprioately cloaked and scarfed, given the low temperatures and the wind that pulled at all of their hair, this high up the city's circles.

"Good afternoon, miss Dringolben," he returned her greeting, before addressing all three of them. "If you will excuse me, I have a friend to see." He gestured to the direction of the Houses of Healing. Macardil smiled at Erynneth. "I have something to return to him, after all. I bid you all a pleasant rest of your day," he added, fully intending to offer the group a small bow, and to then make his way prompty to Halberion.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

| |
Trastion | Eryn | Cali Dringolben
January 2nd, late afternoon
6th level, heading toward the gate

"Don't worry, we're not coming to get anything repaired," Trastion assured Cali. "Actually.." He hesitated, glancing at Eryn, but Macardil spoke first.

As Macardil greeted her, Cali was a bit surprised by the formality of his greeting. She couldn't help wondering if she ought to have been more formal in her own greeting, but... well, she only knew him by the one name. If Trevadir knew any other name for the man, he had not told it to Cali. "And to you, sir." She replied with a small smile as he took his leave of them all.

"Thanks again," Eryn told him, smiling as he took his leave from them. She turned to Cali then. "We've brought something that you're going to want," She explained in a quiet voice. "And, you can thank Macardil for getting it for you, but I think he's going to be a bit preoccupied with his friend, for a while." She explained.

"Alright..." Cali turned to them, a bit puzzled. "What's going on?" She wondered, glancing from one to the other.

Trastion started to hand it over to Eryn to give to Cali, but she motioned that he should just give it directly to Cali. So, he did, offering the weapon out to her wrapped in a cloth.

"I was in a pawn shop, looking for something," Eryn began talking quickly, as Cali took the cloth-wrapped bundle. "And I saw some things that I knew shouldn't have been there, so I asked the shopkeeper about them, and we figured out who must've sold them to him. Then I went and got Macardil, and he bought them, and.. here it is." She explained, without properly explaining much. "We.. figured you'd rather have it, than it be held up in the guard's evidence locker forever and ever..."

"I carried it, so they wouldn't confiscate it." Trastion mentioned his own small contribution to the 'mission'.

After staring at the pair for a moment, questioningly, Cali slowly unwrapped the cloth. She stared, everything around her seeming to go very still. Carefully, she ran light fingers over the hilt, then turned it over, and stared some more. Her throat felt like it was closing up. She swallowed with some difficulty, then let out a slow, shaky breath before wrapping the cloth carefully around it. Then she hugged Eryn for a moment. When she let go of Eryn, she turned and pulled Trastion into a brief hug, too.

He smiled, a bit awkwardly, but didn't resist. He hadn't really expected that, but he understood. She was probably overcome with emotions, or something. "Macardil was the one who paid for it," He explained quietly.

"Oh, I heard," Cali assured him, lightly brushing at her eyes. "I.. I will find a way to repay him, somehow." She murmured quietly, hugging the bundle tightly to her chest. She looked at Eryn, then Trastion, and back to Eryn. "I don't even know what to say..." She admitted, her eyes growing teary again.

"You don't have to say anything," Eryn told her softly. "Come on, you and I can walk down to your house together, and I'll tell you more about it." She suggested. "That way, Trastion doesn't have to feel like he needs to walk either of us home," She half-teased, smiling at him. "I'll meet the horses tomorrow," She added quietly, since it had been her plan to come and meet the horses he wanted help riding. But, it was getting late now, and she figured it might work out best if she and Cali walked together. So, they agreed to part ways there, and Eryn spent the rest of the way down to the third level, explaining the pawn shop situation in more detail to Cali.

Trastion, meanwhile, continued to the barracks, stopping off at the stable to split an apple between the four horses he had taken under his care. He was pleased to have been able to help in returning something of such value to Cali, and he also wondered if he would ever be able to go home again, and see all the things that had belonged to his own brother. Yeah, he definitely understood how Cali must feel to get that dagger back. He was glad for her.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

| | |
Cali, Trev, Renia, & BB
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house

“And… she’s gone.” Trev announced, from his position by the window as he watched Iole stroll off with Gil, who had invited her to have breakfast with him. It was still weird to see either of his sisters being courted, but at least he had yet to find any fault with Gil. He even liked the guy well enough, so he had no problem with seeing her go around with him.

“Do you have a recipe?” Renia wondered, hopping up from the couch to join Cali in the kitchen, where she was washing up the dishes from their own breakfast. “I’ve never done any sorta baking before. This should be fun!” She declared, eager to try doing new things like this.

“I.. do not.” Cali answered, pausing to consider that for a moment with a little frown as she removed BB from her lap to set her on the floor instead. “I mean, I’ve helped my mother, and my sister-in-law with cooking, sometimes. I think I can manage. I mean, it’s a cake.” She shrugged. “How hard could it be?”

Hiding a little smile of amusement, Renia glanced at Trev, who shrugged with a small grin tugging at his mouth. "Right, so let's get started!" She suggested, eager to try this whole 'baking' thing.

---

"Trev!" Cali managed to utter her youngest brother's name with a mixture of despair, frustration, and exasperation. All at once.

Renia coughed, waving her hand around to fan away the cloud of white that had puffed up in the vicinity of the counter.

Trev looked up from his new location on the floor, covered all over in a thick layer of flour. "I'm going to kill that stupid cat," He grumbled, casting a glare after the feline as she ran across to leap onto the safety of the counter. BB, in turn, cast a disapproving glare at him, as if he had purposely tripped over her.

"You will not!" Cali informed him. "You should look where you're going. What if you'd hurt her?"

"What if I-!" Trev started to protest, then sighed as he groaned, instead. Slowly, he sat up. "It's not my fault she sat down right behind me, right when I was turning around." He retorted.

"Hey, stop the fighting, you two." Renia suggested. "This is supposed to be fun. Remember? And we still have a cake to make.. so, is any of the flour salvageable?"

Cali looked apologetically at the other girl, one of the newest members of their recently expanding group. "Sorry," She said to both her and Trev, before picking up the empty flour sack with a sigh. "No... there's only about a spoonful left in here.. maybe. We'll have to get more."

Trev brushed his clothes off as well as he could, which sent yet more clouds of flour puffing all over the kitchen, which sent both girls into a fit of coughing and waving their hands around. He stopped, realizing that it was making more of a mess. "Uh, sorry. I'll go get more flour." He suggested. "That way, you two can keep working on mixing the dough-"

"Batter," Cali corrected him with an eyeroll, shaking her head with an amused shake of her head.

"Whatever," Trev rolled his eyes, then. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised, grabbing his coat, and hurried outside to accomplish his errand as quickly as he could manage.

Renia snickered as she watched him leave, still covered in flour. "Do you think he knows how he looks?" She wondered, amused.

"He looks ridiculous, doesn't he?" Cali answered, amused.

"Absolutely!" Renia agreed, then they both spent a good while laughing about that.

---

“Did you get the flour?” Cali asked anxiously, looking across the counter at Trev as he came in looking downcast. Their project had been at a standstill pretty much since he left. They couldn't exactly proceed without flour, after all.

“They’re sold out.” He answered, carefully keeping a regretful expression on his face. He'd cleaned most of the flour off of himself, by now, though a few traces of it remained in his hair and creases of his clothes.

Cali’s expression changed from hopeful to dismayed. “What? Noooo! They can’t be!”
Renia looked up in alarm at this news. “No more flour?” She repeated, glancing at the mess spread out across the counter. They had a mixing bowl containing butter, milk and sugar… awaiting the flour that Cali thought needed to be added next. “What do we do now?” She worried, turning to the eldest of the three.

Cali sighed in exasperation as she, too, looked at the mess they were trying to coax into becoming batter. “Did you try Liriel’s?”

Trev looked down for a moment, then let his grin break through as he pulled a sack of flour from behind his back and set it down on the counter, next to the bowl. “Sorry, I meant to say, they’re sold out.. now.” He clarified with a little smirk.

Cali sighed in relief, then scowled and smacked his arm, leaving a floury white handprint on his sleeve. “That wasn’t funny!” She declared.

“Oh, trust me, it was.” He disagreed, laughing. “Just don’t drop this one, alright? It really is the last one.” He warned, just in case.

“I didn’t drop it, you did.” She retorted, sticking her tongue out briefly.

“Well, it was your cat who tripped me,” He countered, in defense.

“You leave BB out of it. She was only trying to ask for attention.” She defended the sweet little feline, who at that moment knocked a bottle of milk over on the counter, then eagerly began to lap up the resulting spill.

“Your little monster is spoiled rotten,” Trev rolled his eyes. “What else do you need?”

“Uhhh, eggs?” Renia suggested, still grinning a little as she observed the two bickering playfully.

“Wait, cakes use eggs?” Trev wondered, genuinely surprised by that. “Do we have any eggs?”

“We should have some.” Cali frowned as she tried brushing off her hands on her apron, so she could check their supply. "Except... it looks like someone used them all." She sighed, glancing suspiciously at the other two.

"Uh.. we had some eggs for breakfast, remember?" Trev pointed out. "I didn't know you'd be needing them for the cake. Did you?" He asked Renia.

She shook her head with an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, I had no idea."

Cali leaned against the counter, thoughtful. "Well... maybe we don't need eggs." She mentioned, hopeful. "Let's ummm, mix all this together and see if it seems like the right texture?"

"Sure, sounds good." Renia agreed. "I'll do the flour," She added, with a teasing glance at Trev.

He threw his hands up and backed away, shaking his head. "You two knock yourselves out, I'm staying back out of the way." He declared, half-smirking.

"Nuh-uh," Cali shook her head, pointing to the bowl and whisk. "You're going to be stirring, while Renia pours the flour in," She decided, since she knew that task could take a bit of strength if the batter got thick or something. "And I'll watch, to make sure it's coming to the right consistency."

[Isolde Alarion]

Mourgan Alarion coming to visit Cali
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house
@Rillewen

With their sea voyage pending Mourgan wanted to spend some time with Cali before they left. He made his way to the Third level and to the house that she shared with her friend lole. Up the steps to the front door he stopped and stood there for a moment.
He'd made sure he was presentable and not in his usual Ranger apparel. He ran a hand down the front of his freshly washed and pressed blue tunic then a quick inspection of his permantly stubbled chin and his shoulder length hair to make sure it hadn't gone astray on his walk over.
He was about to rap on the door when he heard laughter. His hand paused midair as he hear voices coming from within, one he knew specifically. Cali.

Knock,knock,knock.

His hand lowered as he waited for the door to be answered.

[Rillewen]

@Isolde Alarion

| | |
Cali, Trev, Renia, & BB
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house

Cali looked up from watching the flour-pouring process, surprised by the knock. "I'll be right back," She told Trev and Renia, still quietly laughing about the absurdity going on in the kitchen, as she came to the door. She wiped her flour-coated hands on her apron and opened the door, smiling in surprise as she saw who was standing there. "Hello, Mourgan! Come in." She invited him.

She glanced at him, and how neat he looked, and then at herself. Flour all over her, a splash of milk across her apron... she didn't even want to guess what she must look like.

Through the doorway which she'd left open, they could see Trev lifting the spoon from the bowl, with a nearly solid glob of thick, pasty substance, which stuck to the spoon like cement. He looked baffled as he tried shaking it off the whisk, but without success. "Uhhh, Cali?" He called out. "Little help here?"

"Uh, we're trying to make a cake," Cali explained to Mourgan, with a faint blush. "Today's Iole's birthday, but um.." She motioned toward the kitchen with a little laugh. "It's not really going according to plan."

[Isolde Alarion]

Mourgan Alarion coming to visit Cali
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house
@Rillewen

The door swung open and there she stood, Cali. He smiled at both her greeting and the state of her. "Hello Cali, thank you." He stepped inside noting the looking over she gave herself. He was about ask if he'd interrupted something when he looked past her to see Trev with what appeared a mixing bowl of.. glue?
Luckily Cali explained they were trying to make a cake for lole's birthday. "Ohh I see." He was still abit bewildered by what he was watching, he'd never seen a cake batter so...sticky?

His attention was then drawn to the white powdery coating on nearly everything including the bakers. "Do I even want to know what happened here?" He motioned to the light dusting, then he noticed BB lapping up some spilled milk. "I see BB's enjoying your baking, uhh.." His curiosity getting the better of him he asked. "just curious but...do any of you actually know how to make a cake?"

[Rillewen]

@Isolde Alarion

| | |
Cali, Trev, Renia, & BB
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house

Did any of them know how to make a cake, he asked?

"Nope, not a clue!" Renia called, laughing, into the other room, having heard the question and spoke before Cali could answer.

Shaking his head slightly in wonder at the mess, Trev dropped the glob of whatever they'd made, back into the bowl. Then he started trying to get the glob off the whisk, but it did not want to release the whisk.

Rolling her eyes at Trev's girlfriend, Cali attempted her own answer, "I kinda.. sorta.. know a bit about-" She began, but was cut off by the blond,

"Don't listen to her! She's as clueless as we are!" She declared, though with a grin and a teasing tone in her voice. "'How hard can it be,' she says." Renia quoted teasingly, then shrieked in surprise and tried to dodge as Trev, trying to get the stuff off the whisk, ended up flicking a bit of it at her by mistake. "Cali, he's attacking me!"

BB ran out of the kitchen to avoid them, and leaped onto the back of the couch, leaving flour-y paw prints everywhere.

Turning back to Mourgan, Cali shrugged. "So... uh, not really." She admitted, trying not to laugh at the chaos. Then she looked at him again, hesitating. "We.. didn't have plans, did we?" She asked, checking to make sure she hadn't forgotten something.. she was fairly sure she wouldn't have planned anything for today, but she may have forgotten to mention anything about today's plans to him, which she had definitely meant to do.

[Ercassie]

Addhor Raxëlilta and Narradir Korsey
With ‘Narohtar’. First circle. Many years ago now.
Private. Post 2 of 2. Continued from HERE

The door opened off the main street, it wasn’t even locked. Which meant that whoever lurked within either could not afford the security, or they did not need it. For certainly Narohtar’s reputation around the First Circle belied any further need for security. It ought to have been enough to convince the boy to scurry home, forget this whole stupid idea. But, as the light fell away behind him, the boy was forced to consider the staircase. And why the wooden rail which leaned down from the summit, came to an abrupt, jagged end about halfway down. Even his small tread summoned nerve-breaking creaks with each slow step he dared toward the door at the top of those stairs. It wasn’t ghosts, he told himself. It was rotting wood and badly maintained foundations. Somewhere something was patiently dripping, but reason told him that it was likely only some leak. For a moment he tarried with the notion that this must be the wrong place. For what sort of man who has money to spare would live in a place that was so in need of fixing up ? A cheap man who didn’t want to part with even a single tharni ? No, that would go against every hope he had for coming here. A smart man then, maybe ? Who does not wish to advertise his fortune in a neighbourhood well known for thieves. But no. Everybody knew that Narohtar had coin. That was half of his reputation. Maybe the other half of that same reputation was to blame; a man whose livelihood is so violent that it is a waste of time to bother tidying up after the last mess, when there is every certainty of another mess to come soon after ..

None of this contemplating was making the boy feel any better about climbing up those stairs. But it was still a shock when the bare door at the top was flung open, and a man flung with as little warning, down the stairs toward him.



Addhor’s first thought was to press against the side of the suffocating channel and hope that the living projectile would not see them both to a heap at the bottom. His second thought was relief, that he was small enough to evade such a fate. The third … paused somewhere about regarding the state of the fallen man. Bloodied, bruised, barely able to open one eye. But not really a surprise, for all that.

The large man who had discarded his most recent company, paused too. In the moment where he otherwise would have closed the door behind him. For he saw the boy, and brown eyes narrowed. Narohtar drew the back of one hand across his brow, as the staring child took in the sight. The sweat stained shirt, the knuckles curled around a mallet. The bloodied mallet. The confusion.

“You with him ?” were the first words that the moneylender ever spoke to the boy. Who managed to mutely shake his head without turning back to behold the broken figure that groaned from the shadows. “Who sent you ? Who’s your father ?” Narohtar sent out a small flurry of guesses that did not serve him with answers he could make use of.

“My father is dead,” Addhor reported, matter of fact. It did not hurt for being a fact he had always been aware of. He could not miss somebody he had never known.

“I saw to that, you think ?” the money lender hazarded a further assumption. Though he was growing less interested with every passing moment. A second shake of the boy’s head drove the man to grunt and disappear back through the door he’d emerged from. But he did not close the door behind him.



As the mangled mess of limbs and contusions picked itself up from the bottom of the staircase, and fell rather than fled out of the unlocked door to the street, .. the boy headed in the opposite direction. Toward the source of such shameless aggression. The scant exchange which had passed between them barely was a guarantee, or anything beyond perhaps a sequel to the hard stair exit. But once they stood on equal ground, that is .. the same floor of the house .. the boy wandered through the door without being invited. He was not told to leave, he was not paid much heed at all in fact. At least not by the man he had come here for.

“I know you.”

Beyond the small collections of upturned crates and distracted clusters of men playing at cards and dice and other games, a boy was perched alone over some parchment and ink. He was broader built than the boy who had now trespassed. Little taller but with the sort of stature which suggested he could have fit three boys their age in his skin. “I know you from school,” Narradir persevered. Dropping his quill so that ink stained whatever he had been working on.


His ‘guest’ glanced over to where Narohtar was now conversing, and laughing, sharing some story with two others, who seemed keen to agree with everything the large man said. It seemed like a bad idea to go over and interrupt him.

“My cousin hates you.”

The statement surprised and turned Addhor back toward his peer, shock mastering his anger at the offence.


“I don’t know your cousin,” he let the larger boy know.

“Hanrod ?” Narradir left his seat behind him and squared up to the intruder. Without bothering over a guess at why his classmate was here, now. "He hates you. Tells me all the time,” A large fist reached for a half tankard of some unknown refreshment, which the larger boy did not look to share. And suddenly the statement made more sense.

“I’m sure he’ll win out next week,” Addhor admitted. Where merits for top of the class were concerned, he and Hanrod had been neck and neck for many months now. One week one of the two would take the lead, but the next week would see the other take his turn. The challenge kept both of them focused. “I didn’t know he was your cousin.” It wasn't an apology. He didn't know what else to say.

“And here I thought you knew everything,” the larger boy scoffed, dropping his spent tankard onto the edge of his table, uncaring when it fell to the floor. Addhor took his gaze from the money lender’s son, to the rolling vessel until the latter fell still. “I’ve seen you, spending all your break times, every lunch hour, reading .. writing .. ” Narry then declared. Surprising the other yet again. For he had not been aware that anyone cared enough to ever take note of anything he did at school. Besides the teacher. And maybe Hanrod. “Think your precious books are more important than friends ?”


The prospect of explaining, of defending himself, with the truth that homework had to be finished, during school hours; that babysitting a younger brother whose antics required every waking moment of time after school, ensuring that same younger brother’s own homework was finished every evening, meant that Addhor had no time to do his own, outside of school hours .. it circled his imagination and he supposed that this Narradir would only laugh. So he said nothing of the sort.

“Right ! You, get on with those sums or I’ll see you down the stairs and all,” Narohtar thundered up from behind the pair and towered over both. “And you .. ” brown eyes looked the smaller boy up and down, before he relaxed. “He's not coming out to 'play'. He's busy. And you're wasting his time.”


For a moment, Addhor shared a moment of quiet defiance with the man’s son, as they fell in line. And then he cleared his throat, hoping that words would appear of their own accord. For now that he was faced with he man himself, in his hall, with his louts all watching on, and a witness ready to report it all to the playground, come the morn …

“I’m short,” he managed, eventually, and regretted the choice of words in the same moment that he saw amusement in the money lender’s eyes. “The rent, I mean. I can pay you back, I can work it off. I have a ...” The recollection that his 'gardening business' was in tatters thanks to his little brother .. stalled the grand declaration.

“He wants to tutor me,” Narradir threw his lot in at that moment, with such a look of reluctant interference that it seemed he had tried very hard to keep his oar out of the matter. “You’re the one as said you want me to join the family business,” he continued to address his father, as the smaller boy struggled to hold his protests and his jaw from dropping to the floor. “I'm just not making it with these sums,” the larger boy admitted, locking eyes now with his classmate even as he seemed to make his argument to the burly man who stood between them, like a giant. “You pay him, I learn sums, he doesn’t get chucked out on the street, and you get a son you can be proud of.”

“You think you can teach him ?” the money lender ascertained, without turning from his son to the boy he was doubting. And it was unclear which of the two boys felt more offended.

“He’s beating out Hanrod every other week,” Narradir stuck out his jaw, obstinately. “And he knows I’ll beat his arse if he makes fun ..” he added.

“I don’t see how I can make his scores any worse,” the shell-shocked scholar shrugged.

---

He was never sure how quite he made it back from the Korsey rooms, to his home. But Addhor walked in to find Domanol getting yelled out for falling in the mud and messing up his clothes.

“And where were you ?” Odessa wanted to know, a hand on each hip as she turned to even out the lectures between her two sons.

“I was talking with a friend, from school,” Addhor recited the same alibi he had given to his brother, when he’d left. “About homework,” he swallowed and met his mother’s eye. A lie made true, he smiled without any real comprehension what had quite just happened. And all that would come of it.

[Isolde Alarion]

Mourgan
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house
@Rillewen

The answer to his question came from another voice and another room which turned his brows upwards abit surprised but first watching Trev try to get the glob off the whisk and then turning his attention back to Cali as she explained she knew a bit about it, he nearly chuckled at once more hearing the opinion of the other woman ( Renia) then she shreiked in surprise at Trev nearly flicking abit at her.

He was finding the whole situation very comical, even BB was was seeking safer ground and leaving a trail of white paw prints in her wake. He looked back at Cali as he confessed her lack of experience.

She asked if they'd had plans and he shook his head. "Oh no, just came by to see you. No plans." He reassured her.

He looked back at the scene before them. "Uhh, how much time do you have to get this cake made?" He didn't want to intrude but he was pretty certain at this point it wasn't going to happen considering the batter, if you wanted to call it that, was looking like something you could plaster a wall with.

He looked back at Cali. "If it's alright I'd like to help." He motioned to the kitchen.

[Rillewen]

@Isolde Alarion

| | |
Cali, Trev, Renia, & BB
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house

Cali relaxed a little upon hearing that she had not somehow managed to make plans for today and then forget. However, she did realize that she'd forgotten to invite him to join them for their plans for later. She'd have to remedy that, but for now she was preoccupied with the cake operation. "Of course, we'd really appreciate your help!" She said, in fact she was quite glad to hear him offer. His other question, however, made her pause.

"Um," Cali tried to estimate how much time they might have. "How long do you think, Trev?" She motioned for Mourgan to come as she went through the doors to the return to the kitchen.

"She went to have breakfast with Gil," Trev took a quick glance outside the window, to make a guess at how much time had passed. "That was.. maybe half an hour ago, maybe a little more?" He shrugged. "I don't know how long they'll take to eat. They might get el wrapped up in poetry and lose track of the time."

"Didn't one of you ask him to keep her occupied for as long as reasonably possible?" Renia asked.

"I think Nal talked to him about that," Cali nodded as she located another apron and offered it to Mourgan, before glancing from him to Renia. "Have you two met?" She asked, trying to recall. She knew that she and Mourgan had listened to Trev and Renia sing at the Guesthouse almost a week ago, but she couldn't think of an occasion when they had actually been been introduced.

"I don't think so," Renia answered thoughtfully.

Cali smiled then, and motioned to the young woman in question, "Alright, well, this is Trev's friend, Renia." And then to Renia, she motioned toward Mourgan, "and this is Mourgan..."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Renia smiled and started to offer a handshake, but hesitated as she noticed how her hands looked. "So, do you know how to make a cake?" She wondered, curious if anyone among this group actually knew what they were doing.

Cali laughed at that but decided to let Mourgan answer that one.. meanwhile, she asked a question of her own.. "Did you happen to talk to Nal this morning? We're expecting him to help with this, too."

[Ercassie]

@Rillewen

Unalmis Raxëlilta and Ilisys Azrubêl .
bringing Ospiel Iuliel to Aedh Eilidh, Rath îdh, 5th Circle.
before escorting Mort and Bronela Ishen up to the Sixth Circle.
With a lot of further to and fro-ing, in a very effectively employed carriage.
Very early morning of January 3rd, Following on from THIS POST.

They had passed through the Great Gate at the earliest hour that it could be managed. Before the bulk of the city had risen out of their beds. When the city guards stood there as sentry were still wiping sleep out of their eyes. The absence of Thorledhos Darthor at the front gate was noted by the Ehtyar, as a surprising deviance from their plan. But it went without remark, so not to provoke any concern from their guests. Who were honestly still wiping the sleep out of their eyes also. It had been an extremely early ride up from Harlond, for the Ishens, but no less than they were happy to concede to, for their daughter’s birthday surprise. The Elf meanwhile seemed as eerily alert as though rest were a foreign concept. But Unalmis was fretting about the time, because he’d clearly told Cali and the others, that he would be likely home last night. There were definite plans for this morning ! The Elf’s addition to their little congregation had of course complicated matters, as Elves had a tendency to do. Their entire understanding of time being wholly altered from a mortal’s thinking.


Gildolen met the carriage as it pulled up outside of Isys’s home on the Fifth Circle. And diligently he made himself known to the lady, from the height of her steed. “All within are risen,” he assured his employer. “And all required has been set.” The valet’s training held him from a curious glance into the carriage, where his new girlfriend’s parents were huddled. Tonight he would meet them proper, for the restaurant had been booked for dinner out, after Iole had spent the day with her friends. But her newest 'friend' shared a brief, acknowledging nod with Unalmis as that Ranger exited the carriage. Without a word, the Elf dismounted from Baran and allowed for the young man to retrieve his horse. For this was as far as Ospiel would go for now, and Nal had yet further more to travel.

As though he managed such feats every day of his life, Gil escorted the Elf inside, where Domanol was waiting to introduce her to Seri and the girls. It seemed likely to be a most exciting breakfast. And the real guest of honour had not even arrived yet ! The young Belfalasian would take the carriage down to collect Iole from the Third circle, after the Ishen’s had been safely delivered up to Malus and Dessy on the Sixth. The two Rangers, Nal and Isys, would escort the Ishens on that last course of the journey, before registering their return from the training they’d partook of in Harlond. Their horses would require stabling, and then they’d ride the emptied carriage back down.


At least that was the plan. However, upon arriving at the Sixth Circle, Malus had shared some unsettling news of a mutual friend. Which at least explained why Thorley had been absent from his usual gate duty that morning. After they had settled their return affairs at Ranger headquarters then, Isys had left Unalmis arguing with a receptionist at the Houses of Healing. About it being too early for patients there to receive visitors yet. Thus the Ehtyar had ridden the carriage down alone, before she handed it over to GIldolen. And went inside to join her household before their extraordinary breakfast.

Unalmis was going to be later arriving at his friends’ house on the Third Circle, than if he had clandestinely ridden down with Gil. So even the revised plan ended up further revised. The valet could not reasonably explain the Ranger’s absence to Cali or Trev, not without spoiling to Iole some hint of why her brother would be required there at such an hour anyway. The young Belfalasian could only reassure them that their errant brother had arrived back in the city, early that morning. And then the delighted birthday girl was whisked off by her new beau, in a private carriage, to enjoy a special breakfast at Aedh Eilidh. That much of the plan at least occurred without incident.

[Isolde Alarion]

Mourgan
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house
@Rillewen

Mourgan was pleased when Cali accepted his help and he followed her as they went towards the kitchen. Trev wasn't sure how long they would gone and was looking out the window.
He looked at the young woman (Renia) as she asked her question but then he looked back to Cali as she offered him an apron which he appreciated. Cali then asked if they had met, he shook his head but he did remember listening to her and Trev sing at the Guesthouse, he put the apron on and tied it around his waist.

Mourgan smiled at Renia as they were introduced. "Nice to meet you as well." He saw her hesitation at offering her hand but he was going to shake it anyways but then she asked if he knew how to make a cake. A small smile crept up at the corners of his lips as he looked at her. "Oh, I've made one or two in my life." It was the truth and he offered Cali a quick wink before turning back to Renia.

He looked back at Cali when she asked her question about Nal. He was pretty sure the question wasn't for him so he put his hands on his hips and looked at the state of the kitchen and of the cake batter, if that's what it was called.

"I think we just need to start over. " He ran his index finger over a glob of the mixture that was clinging to the edge of the counter, then rubbed it between his fingers. "I don't think there's any saving this." He pulled his fingers apart and watched as the batter stretched between them. One dark brown eyebrow rose. "Definitely no saving it." He grinned at Cali.

[Rillewen]

@Isolde Alarion

| |
Cali, Trev & Renia
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house

Renia grinned brighter upon hearing that this newcomer had made 'one or two in his life', as well as the fact that he wasn't daunted from shaking her flour-y and gooey hand. "Great, that's more than I've done." She declared.

As it turned out, the glop that they had managed to create was not likely going to be salvageable, and Trev frowned thoughtfully at it. "Maybe we could repurpose it, and make some glue?" He suggested with a little laugh, recalling another experiment once in their childhood, when they'd made a few batches of glue. For a particular purpose which he thought best not to mention today.

"If you want to test glue on the ceiling again, you can get your own house and do it there," Cali informed Trev, with a 'stern' look at him.

"Again?" Renia raised an eyebrow curiously at Trev. "Sounds like there's a story there."

"Uh... well, it's probably best if I don't umm, yeah. Let's not go there." Trev cleared his throat. Bringing up the topic of Rip was not something he wanted to do. Not today.

"Hm, alright." Renia nodded thoughtfully, but took the hint that he wasn't interested in telling that tale now.

Cali turned to Mourgan while Trev and Renia were talking, waiting a moment to see if he would answer her question about Nal, but since he didn't, she assumed he must not have heard her. But she was soon distracted from that topic, as all attention turned toward the cake.

"So!" Renia shifted subjects immediately upon realizing Trev didn't want to discuss the glue thing. "Are we gonna need eggs for this cake thing?" She asked Mourgan, who was apparently the closest they had to a cake expert. "If so, we're going to need to get some..."

"Maybe we'd better make up a list of everything we'll need?" Cali suggested with a laugh, looking around at the mess. Milk spilled all over the counter and dripping into floor, a dusting of flour over everything, sugar and various other ingredients littered across the counter. "Then Trev can go get whatever we don't have, while umm, maybe Renia and I could start trying to get some of these dishes washed up?" She had a feeling they'd be needing some of the dishes that were in use.

[Isolde Alarion]

Mourgan
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house
@Rillewen

Again? Mourgan grinned at hearing this wasn't the first time they've done this. Renia voiced his thought and he looked at Trev, half expecting a story but it seemed he was reluctant to tell it. That was alright, maybe he'd bring it up at another time.
His attention turned to Renia again asking if they were going to be needing eggs. He nodded. "A couple, yes." He answered her then Cali suggested making a list of everything they would need. His gaze swept over the mess. "Well, I think you were on the right path." He half grinned as he seen the flour milk and something else he wasn't very sure of.
Cali suggested Trev could get what they needed while they washed up some of the dishes.

"I'll make a list real quick." He found something to write with and something to write on.
He looked at what they had left. "Hmm" He made a decisive sound then went to scribbling the needed things.

Milk
2 eggs
Flour
Baking powder
a vanilla bean
butter
sugar

He then signed his name to it.

He handed it to Trev. "If you take this to the bakery and give it to the Master Baker you'll get everything you need fairly quick. She'll understand what it means, unless you have a better source? Meanwhile I'll help clean up here." He was glad to help and it would be a good use of his time while Trev was away.

[Ercassie]

Unexpected but Overdue – Part 2




Unalmis Raxëlilta.
Finding Addhor and Domanol Raxëlilta. Together.
Family home on the Second Circle. The last day of last August (Just before the Joust)
Following on from
Part 1, and Rillewen’s post here.

They debated even to this day, about whose idea it had been, initially. But ever since Unalmis had enlisted, and moved into the Ranger Barracks, he came home for a dinner with his father. One night, every second week. The instituted anchor allowed both Addhor and his son to enjoy a little familial comfort, as well as keeping each of them abreast of the changes which the other's life had undergone since the last time. Each of them convinced they had cause to keep a concern over the other's habits.

It was a particularly long, airless day at the end of August, and a particularly long walk for Unalmis. But as the sun undressed its gold and the city bells tolled for twilight come, the rite began. The easy turn of a key that the son had been entrusted with. The heedless tread upon the stair his father smiled every time to hear. And then the regular reunion. But for all that it began as every other such evening had, this one would end up a little different.


The cause for this was the man who glanced up, as the young Ranger passed through the door, and stopped, confused, in the very point of heralding a hello. For the man sat upon the worn armchair was not his father. Or any friend of the family he could name. There was a resemblance, to be sure. But the long sword that was laid out across the table, filled in the details.


"Good evening, Unalmis," Domanol ventured, rising to extend a hand from his heart out to the newcomer, as though the pace of his own heartbeat had alarmed him. A moment carried, wherein a bird sat upon the window box was the only interjection. As the son looked first to his father, who was stood overways at the kitchen bar, quiet. Watchful.

"You remember your Uncle, Domanol," the youngest was prompted. His own opinion on the visit hard to read. Beyond that there was wary there. The unspoken understanding that this could all kick off, at any given word from any one of them. And noone knew quite which. Unalmis glanced from one to the other of his kin again, with the sort of expression that suspected a surprise party. On a day that was not even his birthday.


"You don't look dead," he decided. And slowly edged into the room, descending into the other chair so he could better scrutinise the stranger. Three sets of almost identical brown eyes confirmed their mutual bloodline. But their three very individual minds were too full to share their any mood with tongues.

"I'm not dead," his uncle assured him. Though how long that state of existence might remain, did not seem guaranteed. "Not for want of trying," he added. And discarded the light laugh he had intended, reading the room.


"Dinner will be in minutes," Addhor declared. Failed to distract either his son or his brother, but justifying his need in moving the large sword, to set the table. "Your cousin found him, in the North," he gave them the means to start an explanation. Under supervision. Best they say what needed saying here, now, behind closed doors.

"How did, how long did he know you were there ?" Nal wanted to know, leaning back in his seat. "Since I'm guessing he's not here as well to tell ..."

"It wasn't Anardil's place to tell us," Addhor readied a defence against any criticism of their kinsman, which Domanol could not help but take as a slight against him instead. "Isys sent him north. On a chance. It panned out."


"He saw me down this far before heading back to Belfalas," the estranged man confirmed.

"I didn't see him at the ferry," Unalmis recalled, or rather did not recall, seeing his cousin. "I was just there, seeing Trev off," he let his father know. Without quite detailing all of the plans they'd put in place to ensure GrammyU didn't see Trev when she dropped Toby off there.

"He's not going back to sea ?" Domanol startled at that, to his feet before thinking through what he had just said. The panic of that possibility had ruled all. It was only after it was too late to take it back, that a different sort of panic set in. Addhor tightened his grip on a plate in hand, as Unalmis took his eyes to the floor. Unwilling to face either one of them.


"You saw him," he confirmed eventually though, in a choked voice. "You saw Trev, in Harlond, with your sword and everything ..?"

"It was in Pelargir," his uncle corrected, and the nephew's eyes rose to test the news. For a moment both of Addhor's dinner guests said nothing. The youngest's face betrayed his initial confusion. Why Domanol would have left his friend with a bunch of pirates ? Until he remembered, he had done the same himself. But he'd had no choice. Trev had chosen to leave, at a point when Unalmis had to get his sisters to safety. Letting his brother go, at least the second time, had been the lesser of two evils. And the first time he had not known what Trev's father really was. Neither of them had.


If Domanol had not known what Devedir was, when he saw Trev with him, he would never have been so roused now by the thought that Trev had gone back to sea.

"Time to eat," their host drew both of the intense staring men to his distraction. Though the difficulties to debate were still inevitable. "We have a lot to talk about," he supposed. And sat down, thinking belatedly that access to cutlery might not be a good idea. Too late for that. It was too late for a lot of things. But now that they were all together again, they had to at least try.

[Rillewen]

@Isolde Alarion

| |
Cali, Trev & Renia
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house

Trev attempted to wash some of the goo off of his hands while Mourgan was making the list up. Once he had it in hand, he was a bit surprised to be told to go to the bakery for it. "They'll just give the stuff to me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Mourgan's got connections," Cali grinned, amused. "Go.. hurry!" She shooed her brother out. "We're running out of time here!"

Renia had begun gathering up the dishes that needed washing, but as soon as Trev had hurried off again, she turned to Cali. "Alright, I'm dying to know. What's with the glue on the ceiling thing?" She asked. "I mean... if it's alright to tell it?"

Cali rolled her eyes, then leaned against the counter. "Oh, those guys.." She waved a hand in general after Trev. "They wanted glue for.. something or other," She shrugged as if she didn't remember. "And so those silly boys decided they were going to test the strength of the glue, by gluing shoes to the ceiling. And not their own shoes, I might add. They used Toby's shoes.. that Trev's little brother." She explained. "I'm guessing that's why he didn't want to talk about it," She rolled her eyes with a little smirk.

"His little brother's shoes...?" Renia laughed. "What..? How is that a test?"

"Oh, they gathered up all of Toby's shoes, glued them up to the ceiling, and then waited to see which ones fell and which ones stayed up, and which ones stayed the longest, and all that." Cali explained. "Once they knew which one would hold up best, they knew that was the right recipe. Which.. looking back, wasn't really the best test, I guess," she tilted her head. "I mean, using the lightest shoes of all of us? Silly." She shook her head. Still, it had done the job well enough.

"And what did Toby do for shoes?" Renia wondered. "That seems sort of mean."

"That's probably why he didn't want to talk about it," Cali explained, then glanced at Mourgan as well. "So, you two did not hear it from me, alright?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen
From the 6th to the Great Gate - Afternoon of January 24th
~ the day the Rangers return from sea training ~
Continued from here

Other than a strange look when Eryn mentioned she had healing supplies in her backpack, Arnyn hadn't replied as she'd prepared Narsulë and mounted the stallion. She would have asked anyone else why they were so concerned for a ranger trainee who was... well, trained. When the fact of the matter was that the ranger trainee in question had not even been unseen for a full day. But this was a girl who'd been abducted less than half a year ago. That trauma might still linger.

The Lieutenant wasn't one for chit chat, between the gates. And at every gate, she briefly interviewed the guards stationed there. Had they stood guard at the great gate since the previous evening? Did they know people who had? By the time they reached the gate from the second to the first circle, it had become apparent that in the evening or late night, Trastion had in fact not returned to the city. Nor had he since about noon today. Not with, nor without Gaeroch. So either he had only come through somewhere between the wee hours of the morning and noon today - or he had never come through at all.
Arnyn would have preferred to know for sure whether or not her trainee had come through at all. And it wasn't exactly out of character for Trastion to camp out on the Pelennor. But it was winter now, not late summer, and he clearly had not been planning on doing so when he'd ventured out with Eryn. If he had stayed out, it had been an unexpected thing. As they crossed the distance to the great gate, Arnyn frowned, wondering if Trastion had perhaps picked up a girlfriend on the Pelennor? He was of that age for when things could move rather quickly...

And because Arnyn did not want to admit to herself that the guilt she felt - over leaving Tercen, Gladhron and Gwestion to their own devices and over not protecting them better from their own choices - was a huge factor into the decision to look into the Trastion situation... she told herself that 'Trastion' had chosen his own name, after all. Which said enough.

The guards at the great gate did not make them any the wiser, and Arnyn no longer hesitated as she rode on out beyond the gate. "Does Trastion prefer certain routes when you go riding with him?" she asked Eryn. Guilt or not, she was unwilling to go off on a wild goose chase.

[Isolde Alarion]

Mourgan
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house

Mourgan tried to hide his half smile at Calis answer to Trevs question before he was shushed away to get the ingredients on the list. He watched him leave then turned back to the mess at hand. He was just about to start gathering up some dirty dishes when Renia brought up the glue on the ceiling again. He had to hear this one so he stopped what he was doing and looked at Cali as she explained.
At the conclusion of the story he had to laugh and shake his head, Trev always seemed to be up to something.

"Remind me to keep my shoes away from him." He chuckled at the idea.

As Cali looked at him and said he didn't hear it from her he held up his hand in defense. "Alright, alright. I know nothing." He smiled at her then turned back to gathering some of the dishes.

He stacked a few bowls then put a couple spoons in them, took them to the sink. "So, are they still there to this day? I think I'd like to see that." He grinned as he asked Cali and placed the bowls on the counter.

[Ercassie]

Lady Ilisys Azrubêl. finding Domanol Raxëlilta
at her home residence on the Fifth Circle. After noon. Dec 31st
(Following on from THIS POST )

Instinct warned the man that there stood somebody close behind him. And a slightly later recall of his surroundings kept him from responding quite as he would have done, in his usual habitat. Instead, rising up from his stoop, Domanol met the watchful eye of his hostess. While her maid peered curiously from where she was paused at her lady’s elbow, with a readied tray to serve as alibi. Isys found a seat and elected to descend into it’s comfort, while Claery rushed forward to brandish refreshment at their unexpected guest, and place the other carefully upon a small side table, where the older woman waited. Gildolen, having been then left alone for long enough to accomplish his duty without bother, left the two with a neat fire and caught his fellow staff’s eye, as he encouraged Claery to leave them to it, as he did.

“Cheers,” Dom bid to the room, even as the door clicked to a close behind the young folk. The man raised his drink in one hand then, in honour of the lady, and sipped from it. Twice. The second time showcasing how much he had quite unexpectedly enjoyed the first taste. “That’s good,” he allowed, drawing the back of his spare hand across his mouth, satisfied. And then lowering it awkwardly behind his back, as the Ehtyar smiled calmly.


“This day finds you yet dressed in the shadows of yesternight,” she remarked, and then reached for her own drink, sipped without making a show of herself. And waited for him to explain himself.

“Dressed in .. ? You mean, I haven’t changed my clothes since yesterday ?” a translation was attempted. And a demure nod assured him he was on the right train of thought. “I did wash,” he assured his hostess, running his free hand down his crumpled shirt. Although perhaps it was best not to mention that his understanding of ‘wash’ probably was far removed from her own. “As for the rest, well, I faced some rather more pressing priorities.” He crossed the carpet without sound, and slumped into a seat without an invitation, where he deposited his half full wine glass on the floor, precariously close to his feet. Grey eyes were then permitted to watch in a peaceful amusement as the man continued to hurl each tiny. plumped comfort unto another chair. “And I am little accustomed to caring over such frivolities at the best of times,” he gave further back, not entirely in an effort to excuse himself.

“It would be bold of a lady to assume that you committed such care and consideration then, for her sake,” Isys sipped again demurely from her glass and then deposited it safely on the table. “Unless you expected to pay call to a different lady than she as is sat across from you.” the lady mused. Seri was at the Houses of Healing by now, after all. And to be honest, Isys was under no allusion that the Man had come in hope of that company, or he would have almost certainly climbed in through the healer’s bedroom window, as he had on every other occasion. Rather than knock at the door, as he apparently had this time.


“You are taking Unalmis to Harlond,” Dom threw in abruptly, proving beyond doubt that it was the very lady before him, who he had come to speak to. “And escorting my .. friend … back .. here .. from that harbour ?” he made clear why he was privy to her training plans. As one of his feet came close to kicking the floored wine glass clear across the room.

“I had not forgotten,” Isys remarked as she turned to glance out of the window. Domanol curiously glanced where she had, and found no cause there to let his attention linger. He returned to observing his hostess, somehow managing to keep from shaking his head. “We intend to leave once his kitchen duties up at the barracks are completed after lunch. Has there been some cause for deviation from the plan ?” the lady then asked, and put her grey eyes intent upon him.

“Well, that’s exactly the question isn’t it ?” the man confessed. And the airs of merriment firmed into a line of the woman’s mouth straight away. As though this was what she had been waiting for.

“Are you waiting on my answer, or am I awaiting your question ?” she wondered aloud.


“You will have heard by now of course,” he assumed, leaning back in his seat until he decided that was far less comfortable somehow, and sat up, just as awkwardly; “that young Gildolen was roped in to escort Seri and the girls back from the theatre last night.”

“And the dog,” the lady put in.

“Yes,” he drew out the word, in case he might understand better by the time he had finished. “And the dog. So. Clearly. The evening did not quite turn out the way that any one of our little party expected it to go.” The statement was both entirely accurate and a gross understatement. As she was no more the wiser yet, Isys refrained from wading in with any comment. “The truth is that I became aware ..” Domanol began, even as he recalled Gwestion with all his hypocritical panicking about the importance of secrets. A frown began to wrest with the shadows of his sleepless night for mastery over a troubled countenance. After all, as far as Domanol was (STILL) concerned, Gwestion was far more concerned with keeping a secret that was none of his business in the first place, and far less bothered about keeping people whom he regularly professed a want to protect .. unnecessarily in the dark, whilst simultaneously placing them in danger. When Isys awarded her sights this time toward the fire’s charm, the man realised he’d reeled off in thought from what he’d been about to try and explain. As alibi for his hesitation, he groped blindly for his drink, and then supped of it to bide time as he lined up his argument.


“Alright,” he started over, with a husky clearing of his throat to recall her attention to him. “So. You know how very grateful I am to you, for allowing the Breefolk to be able to stay here. Where it is safe,” Dom very much enunciated the last word, with the sort of look about his face which suggested that it was important. More than ever he had realised, the fact of having them here, rather than in the arena of a public tavern’s lodging, it was a very great relief. “Was safe. The fact is that it has become rather less safe than I had imagined for them to reside even here.”

“I shall admit, we have been lapse about certain late night window guests,” Isys interpreted such a leap out of context that Domanol required a moment to try and follow which side path of thought which the woman had taken. Before she found another. “If that was a test, be reassured, that we are all aware of who, where, and how that breach was allowed. If it was a threat, someone would have intervened,” the Belfalasian twirled one hand somehow hypnotically on the axis of it’s wrist. “Guards with keen ears were pressed at doors,” she tacked on, as the memory presented, all too clear, of Claery ‘confiding’ what she’d learnt to all and sundry at the first available opportunity. “Perhaps you and the brothers were patrolling the reach of our grounds here throughout the night. Dressed as City Guard ?” Despite the ‘perhaps’, it did not sound as though the statement required confirming.

“That was ..” he began, but they both managed the word

“Thorley” together, and in unison.

“He trampled Lotte’s flowerbed and she is unimpressed,” Isys informed the rug between their feet. Which by now had been generously sprinkled by wine, as her guest gestured more wildly than might be wise.


“I was forced to prioritise something which the brothers have managed to fall into,” Domanol recovered quickly. “And which shall take them now from this city, from this house .. for some time. Perhaps even for ..” Domanol found himself unable to use the word ‘good’ in any such sentence as he was trying to forge. On this particular matter. “Hence my focus upon the arrival of my expected acquaintance, to well, .. try and compensate for the boys’ unforeseen but now inevitable neglect of attendance.” the man waved a hand in a far less elegant fashion, and then curled his fingers around his glass, before he got carried away. Again. Or wasted further of the fine elixir.

“They are leaving the city,” she put the question to him as a statement. “As are we. But your acquaintance will be here. For Seri and the girls.” Her guest looked about ready to respond, until she added, “As will the City Guard ?” At which point the man raised a hand to his brow as though he were growing a headache.

“I might intend to ask this acquaintance to take them all back north out of here, if I did not already believe that it might be too late,” Domanol sighed and ran his hands down his face as though they were rain. It was the turn of Ilisys to seem lost. She did not require to venture her confusion vocally however. The awkward silence spurred her guest into new reaches of explanation. “I am no longer sure that there is any sensible solution. To any of it,” he tried, and failed, to clear up the bewildering conversation.

“I am certain that I can not see any,” his hostess remarked eventually. “But there I am in the dark entirely,” she had deduced.


“You and I have each put trust in one, before now, who betrayed that kindness. Umbarians,” Domanol moved to wash the unpleasant word out of his mouth, but found his drinking vessel was already spent. So moved it where he should not kick it over, now it would do no harm to. “And innocent lives were forfeit as a consequence. On both counts.” The man’s brown eyes met the grey whirl of the lady’s patience. “History repeats itself. But the King thinks that I’m ‘over reacting’” Both hands were shaped into ‘inverted commas’ in mid air, as the man lost his drive. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe everybody else is right, and I am wrong. And I had no business ..” Hands dropped to his sides, as words forsook him. “But how can I sit back and let the same mistakes happen all over again ? I had to say something.”

“You speak in riddles,” she deduced.

“A language you are well versed in yourself,” he threw right back, and found his face shaped into a silent regret, which he did not need to express vocally.


“The brothers from the north have now been betrayed. By an Umbarian ?” Isys picked up what she felt he had just put down, for her attention.

“Yes !” Domanol might have celebrated the comprehension, but was forced to admit “And also no.” With patience he was not known for employing, he tried over again. Somehow learning to converse with Heraasi, who had not known but four words of the Common when they had first tried, had been easier than this. But it was not as though he could take advantage of what alternative means he and his first wife had resorted to. Not here, not with the Lady. “They have believed a tale come from somebody who they have every reason to trust, but who has inexplicably decided to believe in an Umbarian.” he wove the story slow, as though he worried she might not understand, rather than that she might .. all too well. “So I can not blame them for trusting that person, but I am astounded that the person they believe would have put such faith in something that they have been specifically warned against.”

“So Arnyn has learnt something from interrogating Shamara.” Isys looked to sip from her drink and could not recall in that moment where she had laid it. Turning her gaze unto her guest proved that there would be no satisfaction there. But she knew he, Seri and the boys had been heading out for the theatre, with Arnyn. “She relayed it to the brothers, which has rallied them toward leaving this city, and you were made aware of it at the theatre. From which point you were forced to unexpectedly cut short the evening’s entertainment. To arrange a further guard around my house which you now believe is not safe for your friends .. any more.” Isys watched her friend closely. “And you have spoken to the King on this,” she recollected, pensive. “Do you believe this house has been compromised by an Umbarian ?”


Domanol blinked, from the second very wrong assumption back to the first which was dangerously more close to the truth. “I did not tell you it was Arnyn,” he reflected, pointedly, though wondering upon some level whether the Lieutenant had gotten to Isys first. He also had made no mention of Shamara. But since he had been warned not to spread word of Ava, he did not split hairs.

“The King advised you to co-operate your independent hopes with Arnyn, against a mutual enemy,” she reminded him. “The Lieutenant can not know what you have lived through and you can not set it aside. His Grace was right to balance both sides of the castar.”

“His Grace has taken for her side, over mine,” the man sank back in his seat as though the admission had deflated him. “As have Gwestion and Gladhron. It is going to get them all killed. And he wants me to apologise ! For telling what I have been literally asked to school them in !" The saving grace that he should not have the means to apologise, if they were all killed for their folly, was far from any reason to hope he was right. "If they will not hear my counsel then I don’t know why I am wasting time in explaining.”

“Did you ?” Isys mused.


“Did I what ? Explain ?” Domanol puzzled. “I am not prone to subtlety. Trust me. They understood. They simply believe that they know better.”

“As do you,” the lady observed.

“I would not be the first, nor only,” the man hurtled back. Louder than he had intended. Holding up both hands, he took a mental step back. After exhaustion had pressed him to find sleep, he had somewhat more reserve now than he had possessed in the very early hours.


“So the Lieutenant has given your friends cause to believe that they are unsafe in the sanctuary which you asked me to provide them with. Because of something an Umbarian has said. Perhaps you are come here to warn me that Gwestion and Gladhron are soon heading to Dol Amroth.”

Belatedly, Dom recognised what form the questions that were being asked him were now taking shape of. “You think this is about Arkadhur ?” he almost laughed. And then stifled his bemusement at what he saw in the lady’s face. “No, No !” he assured her. “I did not mean that they believe you are not to be trusted. That would be ..” he whistled, and was met with an uncomfortable silence. “If you still do not believe that the Lieutenant trusts you, because of an Umbarian, why would you ever believe she would trust an Umbarian over you ?” he wondered aloud. Which did not improve things.

“You just said she has trusted an Umbarian over you,” the Belfalasian answered, turning over the end of her dark hair in white fingers. “Which makes no sense to me. Unless she were seeking out a point of view beyond yours, on a matter which an Umbarian would be better versed, if biased. As I have tried time and again to make mention could still be beneficial,” she concluded. "All resources are resources."


“It wasn’t Shamara.” he promised. Although that was far from a reassurance. “Nor Arkadhur. A new player has entered the game.” He refrained from giving up Ava’s name and felt that was far more than he owed Gwestion, in how mismanaged this whole debacle had been. It would have been easy to cite Pharak as having a hand in the latest enemy agent. For even if Ava were being blackmailed or threatened into planting her untruths, or did not even realise that she had been fed information and sent into Gondor to deliver it .. with no care from the Blood priest if doing so cost her life .. Domanol knew that the moment anyone heard him involve Halsad, they would write this off as panic. “Like yourself, and also myself, before her," he strove to find common ground, to set this latest hazard upon the same lines as the mistakes which had been made before. "The lieutenant has taken it into her head that it is worth risking lives, on the word of an Umbarian who has very valid reason to lie to her.”

It was tempting for Isys to point out that she had not known that Arkadhur was Umbarian, back when she had believed him. Which took her to consider something else. “Just as Heraasi had every reason not to believe you,” she turned the man’s statement down a different avenue. Which looked not so very different. “The woman who became your wife was similarly wrong to risk the lives of all her people on the word of a Gondorian stranger, who she must have known had very valid reason to lie to her ?”

To which Domanol opened and then closed his mouth again. “There any more of this wine ?” he coughed, straightened where he sat and asked then, lazily raising up his emptied glass. Without smiling, Isys raised and rang a small bronze hand bell from the table beside her.

[Rillewen]

@Isolde Alarion

|
Cali & Renia
January 3, early
Third Level, Cali and Iole's house

Cali grinned at Mourgan when he said to keep Trev away from his shoes. "Sorry to have to tell you this," She informed him, although she didn't look all that sorry, but rather amused, "But it wasn't just Trev involved in that little stunt." She smiled and began wiping up some of the flour spilled on the counter. "Your roommate was one of the others involved..." She paused. "Speaking of him, I thought he would've been here by now."

"Maybe he got caught messing with someone's shoes and had to stay at the ranger place for some sort of discipline thing," Renia suggested, grinning.

Cali laughed. "Better check on your shoes when you get back, Mourgan." She said, teasing. When he asked if the shoes were still there, Cali paused in wiping the counter, thinking about that. "You know, I'm not sure. But the last I heard, yes.. one shoe was..."

"Only one? Not one pair?" Renia asked, puzzled about that, and checking to make sure.

"Right, only one." Cali confirmed, rolling her eyes. "They put a different glue recipe on each shoe, and stuck it to the ceiling," She laughed. "Made it like.. foot steps, you know, like someone was walking across the ceiling. And then.. the weak recipes failed, and those shoes fell... she leaned her back against the counter, thinking. "As I recall, Toby was crying about not being able to find his shoes. My brother, and Nal were there, and their grandmother was asking them if he knew where they were.." She giggled at the memory.

Renia listened with an amused smile while she grabbed a mop and began cleaning up the spilled milk.

Cali went on, "They um.. weren't very believable with telling lies, so she very quickly got suspicious, and she said something like.. if someone didn't tell her where they hid his brother's shoes, Trev'd be grounded and not allowed to play with us for a week. And.." She snickered, "just at that moment, one of the shoes fell right into her lap." She grinned. "And then Trev said, "Right there in your lap, grandma". And then he got grounded anyway... partly for being a smart mouth, but also for gluing the shoes."

Renia snickered at the image Cali described of the shoes dropping at exactly the right moment. But she looked curious at the last part. "Grounded.. sorry, but what is that exactly?"

"Like.. having privileges taken away, like playing with friends after school, no dessert after supper, having extra chores, and things like that."

Renia made a face. "Sounds very un-fun." But not as bad as some other stuff she knew Trev had endured as punishments while on his father's ship, but she didn't comment on that. "So.. Mourgan, did you also grow up with them?" Renia wondered, turning to him curiously.

---

Trevadir
[At the bakery[/i]

He was a little out of breath as he pushed open the door and stepped into the bakery. It smelled amazing in there, and he inhaled deeply for a breath or two before smiling and approaching the counter, and whoever was there. "Hello.. um, I was sent to get a few things from here," He explained with a slightly hesitant and uncertain tone in his voice. "But ii didn't know you could get this type of thing here, so... I dunno." He produced the note Mourgan had given him, and offered that. "I'm not really sure who I'm supposed to give this to." He offered a small, slightly awkward smile and hoped that there was not some mistake.