Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza

@Rillewen
"Your father wanting you to do the best you could, and to look after each other, both sound like good things," she said, more careful now than before. "I wonder if...Gwestion was more like your father, or whether you were," she mused thoughtfully. "My own father once told my brother and me that he was more easily frustrated with Tercen than with me, because he reminded himself so much more of what he used to be like, himself, when he was younger. And because he knew the mistakes and the pitfalls that came with that personality. My father once told me that he had learned tough lessons, and had forced himself to change - but how seeing those qualities reflected in his son..." Arnyn lifted one shoulder. "Apparently that was more difficult than it was for him, with me. Because I was more like who he had become over time, rather than who he used to be. Which also meant he probably had more difficulty to tell where I was likely to go wrong while finding my own way. That wasn't his experience. So it bothered him less." She didn't mean that her own family's situation was transferable to others, but you never knew. Parenting was, apparently, a strange and difficult thing. Or so she had been told.

When Gladhron thanked her for what she'd said earlier, Arnyn offered a faint smile in return. "It's the truth," she simply said. "And... well, I'm not your parent. Or your mentor." Her faint smile grew just a little. "I'm your friend. As your friend, what I'm hearing are different things. Strength. Commitment. Your refusal to give up. Your urge to protect." All things she admired in people.

Arnyn slowly shook her head when he stated he hadn't wanted to bring the conversation down. She also frowned a little when he apologized for seeing the room, and wanted to say something, but he beat her to it. It almost felt like he was putting her into her place, even though he was talking about her having the skills to put others in their place if they'd think badly of her drawing.

"Yes, Lieutenants are allowed," she began, rolling her eyes. "And I never claimed I was ashamed," she pointed out. "I'm not ashamed. It's only..." Her frown deepened as she assessed his grey blue eyes. Their colour was very alike to Trastion's, part of her mind noted. "And what kind of woman do you know me to be?" she demanded, shifting to lean back in her chair and crossing her arms in front of her.

@Arnyn
As she wondered about his father, and whether he might actually be more like him or Gwestion, Gladhron refrained from giving a laugh. If she had known the man, she would not be questioning it, of course. Instead, he nodded as she spoke of her own father, and her brother. Then, when she mentioned that she wasn't his parent, nor mentor, but his friend, he smiled more. "Yes, and I'm glad for that, too." He smiled further to hear the things she mentioned observing about him. He was very glad that she thought well of him.

While she was giving an answer to his question about lieutenants being allowed to have interests, he selected another pastry half, leaving the other for her whenever she was ready for it. This one was chocolate glazed, with some sort of cream filling, and quite delicious. The way she stopped halfway into explaining her reasons, and the frown, made him slightly concerned that she might be offended. But, hopefully, she would consider him enough of a friend not to throw him out of the office before he could try and make his point.

What kind of woman, she asked? He inwardly smiled, although outwardly, he finished chewing a bite of pastry and lowered his hand, holding the pastry, to rest on his knee. The way she was almost glaring at him made him realize he might ought to tread carefully here. He refrained from mentioning the many nice qualities he had observed about her, and focused on the things that actually applied to the statement he'd made. "Well," He shrugged. "I don't know the right word for it, but.. in the north, the day I met you.. with those bandits?" He paused and sat back. "And other occasions during the time you spent with us, I never noticed you trying to hide your skill with a blade just because someone said something rude or discriminating. Even when those bandits did, you didn't let that discourage you from showing them how wrong they were." He pointed out.

"Anyway.. it just doesn't make sense to me, is all. That you would hide something you enjoy doing, that you're skilled at doing, all because you think someone will make fun of you? Or at least, that's what I'm hearing. That.. you'd rather keep anyone from knowing about it, than to risk someone thinking badly about you for it." He frowned. "I've noticed Brooke does that, too. It makes me sad, I guess... because you're excellent at it, and if anyone's ever said anything rude about you drawing, then they oughta be kicked." He paused, unsure how she was taking this. "I just.. think that if something makes you happy or helps you relax, then why should you hide it away like it's a deep, dark secret?" Sighing, he looked down at his mug. "Sorry. It's just.. Gwestion always wants to be so secretive about everything, too. It's.. difficult, at times."

@Rillewen
He didn't seem phased at all by her question, nor by her crossed arms, her narrowed eyes, the defiant little tilt of her head. Her eyes relaxed as he spoke, changing from a glare to a stare. When he looked down, she blinked, before looking at the desk herself. "I'm not secretive about everything," she protested. "Gwestion exaggerates."

A brief silence fell, as she tried to think of something else to say. But what could she say, really? What actual excuse did she have, that would make sense to anyone but herself? She didn't much like being confronted about this. Her gaze strayed to the cut up pastries, lingering there. It was a good reminder. Gladhron had brought these. For them. All he had wanted was to spend some time with a friend. He didn't mean to put her on the spot.

"It's... It just doesn't fit," she mumbled. "When I started out in the rangers, I looked up to the leadership. Especially to the Hyandaner division's leadership. None of them... had much of an artistic reputation, or anything. So I focused on other things. And then before I knew it, they made me division Lieutenant, and I just... I was young. Younger than most in the division - and suddenly I outranked them. I wanted to prove that I had a right to that position. That I... fit the mold. It hardly seemed like the time to start telling people about drawing. So I simply didn't." Her gaze was still lowered, once again to the desk. "The same still applied when I kept rising through the ranks. I built a reputation as being... skilled with a blade. Strict but fair. Disciplined... but also silly when the situation allowed. And a thorn in the barracks master's side," she added, briefly smiling at the last bit. "It became a habit to keep that I drew to myself. It just became a private thing. Something for me to enjoy in the quiet and solitude of my own quarters, and later my own home." Finally looking up at Gladhron again, she smiled faintly. "Besides, I am not at all as confident as you are about my skill at it. I debated that drawing for your birthday for days, while I worked on it. But it was all I could give at the time. And you'd never judged me before. I didn't feel like I had anything to prove to you. I just wanted to give you a present." She shrugged one shoulder. "I like birthdays."

@Arnyn
Gladhron snorted in amusement. "Gwestion is.. difficult." He shrugged, deciding not to say the first thing that came to mind. Letting a silence fall between them for a moment, he took another bite of his pastry, thinking. Wondering if he shouldn't have brought up the drawing topic at all. But then, after a moment, she began to talk again, trying to make him understand. He listened, nodding slightly here and there, trying to understand as well as she apparently wanted him to. He still didn't entirely get it, but it did seem a little more... like her, now.

Biting back a comment about how she ought not try to make herself fit into the mold of anyone else... Gladhron gave a slow nod. "Sort of like.. hiding the fact that I pay attention things.. has sort of become a habit for me." He acknowledged the similarity, there. He was glad, at least, that it wasn't like he'd been thinking... that she felt ashamed of her drawing skills, and feared being ridiculed.

The fact that she had debated for so long about giving him that drawing, was a little surprising. He smiled faintly. "Well.. I am glad that you decided to give it to me, in the end. Not that I expected anything, of course.. but.." He hesitated, then smiled at her. "I really loved that drawing. The fact that you put so much time and effort into it... that you were willing to share that with me..." He shrugged slightly as well, and smiled. "I only wish I could've had a chance to do something even close to that, for your birthday. But I don't even know when it is," He admitted with a little laugh.

@Rillewen
She nodded with a faint smile when he drew the comparison with his observational skills. "I still don't quite understand your thing,you know... but I figure you probably still don't quite understand about the drawing, either," she supposed, slightly amused by the parallel there, too. "But maybe that's okay." No one seemed to really understand her anyway, these days. So why should Gladhron?

Looking away when he spoke again of how he appreciated getting that drawing, Arnyn took the other half of the second pastry, starting to eat it as Gladhron was talking. It was true that she had put a lot of time and effort into it. Even if he hadn't liked the art itself, at least there was still the fact that she had dedicated time and effort to it. That he addressed that, and realized it, made her smile after swallowing. "You're welcome," she said, smiling a bit broader at his little shrug. That was such a tell on him!

Some saliva almost went down her windpipe when he said he didn't know when her birthday was. Coughing a little, her hand in front of her mouth, Arnyn recovered quickly enough and grinned at him. "Not that far away from yours, actually. June twenty-third."

@Arnyn
As she mentioned that neither fully understood the other's thing, Gladhron shrugged slightly. No, he didn't completely. He was trying to respect it, but he thought her drawing skills were fantastic, and that she ought to put them on display or something. But then, he also thought that her singing was great, and that she ought to do it more often in public. But she'd asked him to keep quiet about it. He recalled, back at the time, how Gwestion had commented something about thinking she hadn't seemed quite comfortable with doing it. Was she shy about this stuff, then? He knew that she was, in many ways, like Gwestion. And he was shy in some ways. But that was also different. Mentally, he tried to shrug the whole topic away for later thinking.

"Right..." He answered, though not entirely convinced about how fine it was that he didn't understand. "I do want to understand, though." He added quietly. "Cause... you're my friend, and I care, even if I don't completely understand it." Gladhron managed to stop himself from saying more about caring about her, and instead crammed a bite of pastry into his mouth to stop himself from talking for a moment.

As she replied to his comment about the birthday, Gladhron paused in chewing, and took a moment to think about the date that she told him. June twenty-third? He nodded slowly as he resumed chewing, his mind racing. That was before his birthday by.. about three weeks? That sounded right. How long had they known her, before they'd celebrated his birthday? He was thinking fast to try and count it up, but it had been a few years by now, and he was a little fuzzy on the exact length of time they'd spent together. However... he swiftly went back in his memory to the day they'd left the forsaken inn. When was it? It had been near the end of June, he knew that much, but what was the exact date? Gwestion would remember, he figured, but he wasn't there to ask. So, Gladhron had to think about it and remember, himself.

As he finished chewing the pastry and swallowed, he decided to take a bit of a gamble, instead of relying on what he could remember. The date would have been awfully close, if it wasn't, so... with any luck, he'd be right. "So.. wait." He tilted his head at her. "The day you met us, was your birthday?" He asked. And just as soon as he said it, it hit him. When they'd arrived at the Prancing Pony and had checked in, they'd had to put the date! That was it.. it was the next day! "No, wait... the day before your birthday." He amended swiftly before she could correct him, then sat back, a bit surprised by the coincidence, regardless. "So... can we claim that as our birthday present to you?" He asked jokingly. "Meeting us..?" He hoped she would know he was just kidding, but he did think it was kind of funny. He was suddenly really glad, upon remembering that he and Gwestion had arranged with the innkeeper to get her a room and bath ready by the time she came in from helping the Millsons, that day... and if he'd known it was her birthday, he'd have done much more for her!

@Rillewen
That Gladhron challenged her statement that not understanding each other may be okay too, surprised her. She blinked, lowering the piece she still had left from her half of the second pastry. He... wanted to understand? Arnyn watched him shoving part of the pastry into his own mouth, and frowned slightly as she looked down at the desk.

Who had even tried to do that in recent years? Tercen had given it a few attempts, his latest try as recent as last night, after she'd woken him up. But other than that... Arnyn knew Pele sometimes tried to check whether she was alright and wasn't taking on too much, but it wasn't quite the same. Of course, Arnyn couldn't deny that she she hardly offered anyone the opportunity to try and understand her. It was just easier to keep her walls high. Then she could blame the walls. Not other people's lack of willingness to try.

Was it a strange coincidence that one of the few people she'd lowered those walls around, was now trying to climb over what was left of them?

Coincidence or not... the statement did invite her to try and explain in a way that might make it easier for him to understand. "I don't know if it's entirely logical," she admitted. "It might be that I'm following the habit and some kind of resulting instinct that the habit developed." She knew she was doing the latter, but it sounded so unlike her - so unlike the woman who was known to default to logic and solid arguments. "So understanding it, in that respect... is rather difficult. Isn't it the same for you hiding how observant you are?" she asked him. "Because it still doesn't make sense to me that you'd also hide it from your friends, and even your brother." Arnyn lifted an eyebrow. "At least my brother knows I draw," she said, a hint of teasing in her tone and the half smile she gave Gladhron at those words.

After telling him her birthday, she watched him with amusement as she could almost see the wheels turning. Would he figure it out? Did he remember how long they'd been traveling together before his own birthday? She tamped down a broad smile when he asked whether she'd met his brother and him on her birthday, but she couldn't hold back a quiet laugh when he immediately corrected himself and then leaned back in surprise. She had to laugh again when he asked if meeting them counted as a present.

"I wasn't sure at the time whether it was more of a present or a pain," she said with a sigh and a shrug, but her broad grin gave the game away; she was obviously joking, as well. "But it turned out to be quite a gift," she added, more quietly, and more serious. "Traveling with you and Gwestion was just what I needed. It was too bad it was cut short. Not that I could tell you how much longer I would have stayed if it had not been for Tamrin finding me with his news."

@Arnyn
Gladhron wasn't really sure why she frowned when he mentioned that he did want to understand. Or was it the part where he said he cared? Or.. why had she frowned? He was feeling a bit confused by that, but soon, she began to speak again. Gladhron tried not to look too relieved by that, and considered her question. Was it the same? He gave a little shrug. He honestly wasn't sure, to be truthful, but he didn't know quite how to tell her that. "Perhaps," He answered slowly. "Although... also not the same? I mean, can you imagine, if Gwestion knew all that I could do when I wanted to?" He asked in mock horror. "He'd never let me have any peace, always demanding that I pay attention to every little thing.. and remember every word anyone ever says..." He grinned slightly to show he was joking. Sort of.

"Whereas, what is the worst that could happen if someone found out you draw? They might ask you to do a drawing for them? They might not be happy with it?" he frowned in trying to imagine more bad scenarios. "I don't know. But think of how it could be useful in rangering. I mean.. if someone were to give you a description of someone who'd broken a law, could you draw them? Or, I don't know. I'm not an artist, though. So, if I'm not making sense, or if I'm saying something dumb, just ignore me." He smiled slightly and shrugged.

As she replied about the birthday 'gift' of meeting them, and how she was unsure back then whether it was a present or a pain, Gladhron laughed. "Both, I'm sure." he admitted, grinning back at her. But his grin softened to a smile as she said that it was just what she needed. "I... think it was what we needed, too." He told her in an equally quieter tone. "I am sorry that you had to receive such bad news. And, that we didn't think of trying to arrange to get together again, later." He sighed, looking down, remembering the way he had felt as if their team had suddenly been ripped apart, and suddenly it was back to just he and Gwestion. And while that had always been their arrangement before, it had suddenly felt.. like something was missing. Not that he could tell her that, out loud.

He looked up with a tiny smile. "We talked a lot about how we should have done this, or said that, you know. After it was too late." He mentioned, remembering also that he had suggested trying to follow her trail. And that Gwestion had told him that Celume probably did not want them to, since she'd always avoided telling where she came from. "But," he smiled a bit more. "We're here now. And... I hope I haven't interrupted you from anything too important," He added, with a glance at the desk, and the papers she had stacked away. "What are you working on, if you don't mind me asking?"

@Rillewen
She gave him a half smile, knowing he was right about Gwestion and the expectation he would have of Gladhron. If he knew. "Oh, yes. I think you're right about that. If you recall, Gwestion and I do share a few traits. What do you think I expect from you, now?" she asked, amused.

He had a point about her drawing. The worst that could happen is that people would ask her to draw things she didn't have time for - or that they wouldn't think she drew well at all. The latter would not change anything, really. It might not feel very nice, but that would be it. As for the first... The example Gladhron gave about drawing criminals if they were described to her, made Arnyn stiffen a little. That was far too close to reality, she thought, thinking back of Trev's report and his father's crew members. "It's not because I could draw them if I saw them, that I could draw them based off of someone's description. And it would have to be redone, over and over... if they cannot explain it just right then I couldn't draw it right either. It seems like it would be a lot of effort both for the person describing the criminal and for me, with probably sub-par results," she muttered. "It would take hours." She had hours. She could draw criminals instead of whatever she liked. But would that relax her at all? No. Was she willing to give up the last few bits of time she had left to herself? Also no. "It would make me even busier than I already am," she added, so quietly he might not even hear her.

"Speaking of..."

His laugh at her earlier words, made her fall silent. So he thought her reply about meeting them being both a present and a pain, was funny. Arnyn smiled. "I regretted that, too. Not thinking about - later." She was tempted, then, to tell him she'd even made the long journey back to the Breelands, to see if she could find the brothers again. Only to hear from Bel that they hadn't been around the area in months, and how it could be many more months before they ventured back there. Gladhron was already onto the next subject, though, and it didn't seem very productive to return back to a topic she regretted, could not change, and wasn't really that relevant anymore. Because fate had brought them here, now.

He hoped he hadn't interrupted her from anything too important. Arnyn let out her breath in half a laugh, half a sigh. "A few things. Some more important than others. I should get back to it all... There's mission planning, for the spring. That one is very important. And reports from the barracks master." She rolled her eyes. "Those are less important."

@Arnyn


They took the corridor at such a pace, it suggested that the two were in a race. Though what singular thing they both might have been hoping on was hard to imagine, for there might not be two men so set apart in their presentation. The one, smart and precise in his guard uniform, his face was set and his mood about a hurry, for this to be over with. The other barely civilised in clothes which had not quite managed to wash the wilds out of them. He looked as keen to cause the other man delay, simply because he knew of that other’s urgency to be away from him. The age gap between them was not vast though it perhaps seemed more pronounced than it ought, for the man most recently returned from foreign climes had taken far less care about his look save to encourage folk to purposely avoid him. The marginally younger man clearly cared far more to be taken seriously, as the same sort of symbol of authority his company looked to wave his nose at.

Before Thorley could bring his knuckles to command the door oblige them, Domanol had tapped out a sharp assault on the wood which the other cringed to be in any way associated with.


“Lieutenant,” the man whom Arnyn had met at least once before, did not wait for any invitation. That the door was not locked made everything they found within fair game really. “Are you busy ?” He glanced her up and down in a more intrigued than intimate manner. “And rather more importantly, would you take objection to becoming so ?” he asked. Dared ..

Taking a seat in one of the chairs that were set before the desk, he leaned back and tested the strength of the furniture, nodding approvingly to himself. Before he seemed to recall where he was and why. “You were expecting me,” he assumed might prove an explanation, given that he had given the officer forewarning. Albeit a week before now.


“You were probably not expecting me,” the Guard behind him who had strode in also, with no less purpose though perhaps with a good deal more decorum. Thorley raised his chin, proving he was not, despite his wish to be gone, intimidated by the Rangers' Second in Command. “But I at least will not bother you for any longer than is completely necessary.”

As the Ranger out of the North felt for what was digging into his pocket, and began to empty various pockets, some which had been unseen until then, the Guard averted his any reaction and laid two items on the Lieutenant’s desk. One was a small leather bound book. The other a somewhat considerable tome of paper, all neatly stacked together, and almost as great in width as was the other.

“For you,” Thorley nodded, curtly, toward the offerings, as though the very sight of them would explain his attendance, or existence in any way.

His companion retrieved the last item from his own person, an apparently severed three-claw of some manner of large bird, and laid it down with needless care on the table as well as the motley collection of knives, arrow heads, and various extracted animals' teeth. “That one is not for you,” Domanol informed her, without seeming the least bit apologetic. “Its just really uncomfortable to sit on ..”

@Ercassie
The quill dipped into the ink before softly scratching words upon the report of yesterday's patrol. Arnyn was dressed in the black uniform of the king's rangers, the only things that might be considered 'adornments' her Lieutenant's badge and unbound blonde hair. At the fervent knock on the door, the quill removed itself from the paper, but she had hardly had enough time to part her lips before a certain indivdual all but barged into the office.

She took a moment to identify him. "Domanol Raxelilta," she greeted him. "Unless you prefer Gwandhyra or Harion?" As if she would forget any aliases, willingly offered or otherwise. At his question, she slanted her head slightly. His follow-up made her return her writing utensil to its inkpot, then assess the man as he claimed a seat and told her she was expecting him.

The epitome of composure, one half of her mouth tilted into a smile. "Yes, I am," she said. "No objections, however," she continued. "And yes, I was." She had been expecting him sooner, actually. Not that the delay was a problem, for she was really far too busy to ponder on the possible comings and goings of the like of Unalmis' uncle, despite the unique experience of their first meeting.

The man who followed Domanol looked familiar, like many of the City Guard had that familiar look - for she tended to pay attention. He was not one of those regularly stationed along the Rammas, however, and she did not know his name. "Good day. I do have an appreciation for efficiency," she told the Guard, unruffled by the direct approach. Honestly, she preferred it. Especially when she was working. The Lieutenant watched the man as he placed a small book and a stack of papers onto the desk which stood between her and the two men.

"What is your name, guardsman?" she asked Thorley. "And to what do I owe receiving these?" she inquired, following in the footsteps of the efficiency she had claimed to appreciate while placing one finger on the stack of papers as she watched him, awaiting his reply.

Her eyes flicked to the ranger when that one added yet another item to her desk for reasons she failed to understand, other than it perhaps being an attempt to rattle her. "Not the claw," she noted, as if agreeing. "So, the rest of the collection is?" He had singled out the claw rather specifically.

@Arnyn


Domanol’s smile had grown with every further alias the officer recalled that he had used before. The attention to detail clearly meeting an unspoken approval. A nonchalant shrug though indicated that he had no preference for whichever the woman might adopt. By this point it mattered not whether he went by his true name in any hearing. His enemies evidently knew exactly where he was these days and it would be no bad thing, in his thinking, for those enemies to focus upon him and not continue to harass those he cared about, as a means to draw him out. He was done hiding. It had not helped .. in the long run. “I’m to call you Lieutenant,” he acknowledged, what not she but probably some other had counselled him beforehand.

“Lieutenant,” his armed escort repeated, as though now assured who he was dealing with. Having never met either the Captain or her Lieutenant, the Guard was always glad to have more than merely Dom’s say so, of who this woman might be. If she did not refute his friend’s claim now, he would have his proof. And in Thorley’s line of work, evidence was absolutely everything. It was in fact why he had come to the Rangers HQ on this very occasion. But he would have to wait a while longer as Domanol caught what he decided was encouragement from the woman they had ambushed.


“Second only to your love of efficiency is apparently for folk to lay all their cards on the table,” the Ranger put in, proving he had heard some of her by this point. “Sadly I have no cards,” he hid a grin and a hint of regret but continued. “But in the same respect as prospective allies will shake hands to prove no weapon is hidden in their grasp, I would make plain to you that I come here, with no hidden agenda. No means to cause harm .. well, beyond what you see before you.” How much a person saw of course was often a case of how observant the observer was, rather than how open the observed man was. “I would reassure you that I have brought no weapons into your enclave but my brother has instilled in me that a man can be a weapon in himself. And I shall not embarrass you by suggesting a more thorough search ..”

Behind him, Thorley coughed rather pointedly, though it was unclear whether this was to bite back his own amusement or to bring the other man back to his senses. The latter might have been a means toward the former, to be fair.

“Not the claw,” Domanol coughed himself, to make his own point. “That .. I suspect .. might be razed with a poison which I am in the process of investigating, so I would discount it from being any more than it seems.”


“I am named Thorledhos Darthor,” the Guard stepped in. “You will forgive me for interrupting,” he assumed, with a slight bow of his chin, although given the circumstances, she might in fact not. “And for speaking plain, but our Captain Bealthor is currently taken on a leave of absence and we are unable to reach him. Lieutenant Androllius is absent without leave himself, as well as being under official investigation, and Lieutenant Feirion is currently under house arrest for possible involvement in the suspicious activities of at least one, if not both, of the other two officers. In short, Lieutenant,” as the man employed Arnyn’s own rank, he raised his chin proper anew and met the Ranger’s brown eyes with his grey. “I am in possession of evidence relating to our chain of command, and bereft of any secure location or responsible official to entrust it to.”

Picking up the small leatherbound book, he offered it unto her keeping with a fitting gravity toward the woman. The act of physically entrusting it, marking the need more so than if he had simply gestured to it between them.

“I regret that there is no more noted official from our establishment to bring this to you, and I must make clear that I am doing so without permission or approval from my own superiors but we are, as you may imagine, currently very understaffed under the circumstances. I currently have noone else to ask, even whether I am allowed to bring this to yourself. However, I have been made aware that you are making your own enquiries into Lieutenant Androllius, with regard to his exploits beyond the White city,” Thorley did not shy away from the fact, nor give his opinion of her involvement in their seemingly mutual case.


“In this case, our investigation and your own might compliment one another, to at least the point of sharing relevant information. We have searched Aderic’s apartment in the city and also all and any possessions of his left in the Guard Headquarters. This .. is, as best we can figure, a journal of some type, that belongs to him. If I may ?” With the woman’s permission, the Guard opened the hand-written book in order to emphasise with his pointing out a snippet of the contents.


‘.. someone said that I worked this weekend, but I wasn’t even in town. They must have seen Mar. How can I prove it ?’

… Now that I think on it, Mar hadn’t wanted to go to school that day, even though it was his turn. So I went instead and everyone was mean to me. How did I let him convince me they were lying about the fact that he’d done things to them ? Without him here, telling me his lies every day, I can see more clearly.’ *


“You will note from this,” Thorley allowed enough time for Arnyn to read ‘enough’ before he handed her the book entirely, and presented a small folded letter in it’s wake**. This was the only thing that was in any of his pockets, and the Guard unfolded it’s contents also for perusal. “His handwriting and signature there, it is the same. This letter he left for the attention of one of our Guards, just before he disappeared. He was her mentor at the time. Sorrela Korsey”, he added, assuming she might ask if he did not offer “She handed it over to me, as I have taken over as her mentor in the meantime. Ehtyar Azrubel has been aiding our investigations, from a Ranger avenue as Ranger Camlost did before her, but they are both also currently out of town upon some different concern. You are supervisor to both, and in your own Captain’s absence .. He said you could be trusted,”

Thorley’s final admission at this juncture was to point clearly toward Domanol, who grabbed the other’s finger and brushed it away with a muttered grumble about it being rude to point.



*Contents of the journal as decided by @Rillewen. It is previously mentioned in RP HERE

**The letter which Ric sent to Sorrel can be found HERE. It is previously mentioned in RP HERE.

@Ercassie
'I'm to call you Lieutenant.' Arnyn looked thoughtful at the way that was phrased. It was polite of course, and also a way to show their lack of familiarity. Yet it still felt strange to be called as such by someone not in her unit or not in the city guard. In addition, she could call Domanol by little else than one of his 'first' names. Unless she were to call him 'sir Raxelilta', which - if her rather brief assessment of his character could be trusted - Arnyn thought would provoke some bout of amused laughter from him.

When the guardsman repeated her rank, she nodded in acknowledgement. The address suddenly felt natural, coming from someone within the ranks.

Domanol's next words made Arnyn tilt her chin up just a fraction, though she knew herself more than well enough not to get defensive. There was truth enough to what he said. She did greatly appreciate it whenever people trusted her enough to open up to her. Maybe it really was in her 'top two', so to speak. And while she personally thought that efficiency was not one of the two things she loved the most, she supposed it was not the worst thing for people to believe it was, considering her profession. The pun about the cards amused her, and she smiled faintly as her eyes flicked back to the leatherbound notebook and the stack of papers on the table. She removed her finger from the latter, having made her point, and her eyes returned to the two men on the other side of her desk even as first one and then the other coughed.

The Ranger Lieutenant leaned back, as if nothing had been said about a thorough search of the roaming ranger, or the possibly poison-laced claw on her desk. So much for no weapons, she thought with a mental eye roll and an easy smile. Not that it mattered to her. She would not have been intimidated, for she was armed, and her sheathed longsword leaned against her side of the desk, but an arm's length away. Next to a small pack.

The guardsman drew most of her attention when he offered his name, and Arnyn rose from her seat to stand next to the side of the desk, the fingers of one hand grazing the top of the piece of furniture, as Thorledhos began explaining the reason for his presence. Arnyn's inscrutable countenance give nothing away, and when the guardsman took the leatherbound book in hand and held it out to her, she reached out to accept it with her other hand. She appreciated the way the guardsman structured what he had to say, and was impressed by his straightforward yet professional approach. That her own investigation as well as that of the city guard may compliment each other, was a kind way of phrasing it - for the city guard had more means to their disposal than she did. For this man, who had come to the ranger command office unannounced, to be sharing information from the city guard's investigation with her... was... almost unbelievable. Like a gift, thrown into her lap.

She glanced at Domanol for only a moment, if only to make sure the strange man was still sitting where she'd known him to be last. Her focus returned to Thorledhos, however, as he explained they had searched Lieutenant Androllius' apartment and his possessions at the Guard Headquarters. What she was holding now, was a journal. His journal. She nodded when the guardsman asked for permission, and handed the book back to him. As she read the bits he pointed out to her, she frowned thoughtfully. Eryn had been right on the money. And if these snippets were any indication, then what Arnyn had hoped for, also may be true. The book was returned to her hands, and Thorledhos unfolded a letter for her to read, as well. This man was providing her with a wealth of information. Even his explanation of what the letter was, was succinct yet complete. And a quick scan of the words made it very clear that at least one particular bit of that letter would be invaluable, moving forward. To her surprise, the letter was also handed over, saving her from having to copy over that one bit as quickly as possible.

Sorrela Korsey.. She had heard that name before. From Isys. Isys had said she knew she could trust the guardswoman. Thorledhos' reasoning of why he was handing these things to her, ended with a reference to the other man, still sitting down in one of the chairs. He said you could be trusted.

For the briefest of moments, she was not quite sure how to respond. Then she nodded at the guardsman, shifting the book and the letter to one hand, while she held out the other. One thing at a time. "Well met, Thorledhos Darthor. My name is Arnyn Dealedwen." It was only fair to give her name in return, and should he already know it, it would still be polite to offer.
"I am sorry to hear that your highest ranking officers are all unavailable - for one reason or the other - and that you are so understaffed. It speaks to the City Guard's credit that you are all still conducting your duties with such diligence and responsibility." The words were not empty, either, and it was clear she meant them, and that she even took pride in the fact that - from an outsider's perspective - one could not tell of the trouble within their ranks. The patrols still went out as before. She had not noticed any of the guards slacking or otherwise being remiss in their duties. And she was so grateful for that. The one who had betrayed Gondor - the one who had spat on his oath - he was alone. He had to be.

"Should Captain Bealthor, or Lieutenant Feiron in case he is cleared, ask for these items to be returned, I will not refuse," she promised. "Or indeed, if any of the Guard's officers requests them, after proper identification." She would go through these today or tomorrow. Copy over whatever might prove useful. Then the original items would be of little use to her. "If anyone doubts your decision, you may send them to me. And needless to say - should you yourself ask for these back, I will hand them back over to you without question, as well." Her eyes dropped to the book and letter in her hand, before once again making contact with the man's grey gaze. "Thank you for entrusting them to me, at least for now. These should be a great help."

A slight frown settled on her face. "Given that your leadership is currently out of commission, that does present certain difficulties for a hierachical structure as the Guard. As you yourself say, you had no one to ask." And that would present more issues, the longer this went on. She knew of Captain Baelthor's absence, but she also knew it was rather unclear when exactly he would be making his return. And while that had been all well and good as long as the other officers were around, that was now no longer the case. "As it stands, I will put in a request to at least appoint a temporary leadership within the Guard. If not an acting Captain, then an acting Lieutenant or two." She wondered what the Guard in front of her would make of that. Perhaps he did not at all mind the lack high-ranking officers within his organisation, at least for a while. Perhaps he even enjoyed it. Perhaps he would now regret ever having come here to speak with her... Yet that did not change her own responsibilities. Even if the Guard was still running smoothly at the moment, such a situation could not last for long without conflict beginning to rise up here or there.

@Arnyn
A grin tugged at his face when she agreed that he was right about Gwestion. It faded a second later when she mentioned that she now had higher expectations. Yet, he decided to reply in a different manner than she might think. "Well," He sat back, hiding a tiny smirk of amusement. "I guess you'll probably expect me to bring you hot chocolate and pastries every day, now." He gave a little shrug as if to say 'oh well'. "I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing you might expect from me." He joked.

Listening to her talk about the downsides to potentially using her drawing skills for work, and how much busier it would make her, he realized that had been a bad suggestion. He also noticed the way she stiffened slightly, and he wished he hadn't said it. "Right, bad idea." He agreed. "Forget I said that. You don't need more on your plate. Except.. maybe pastries." He added, half-jokingly.

"Speaking of..."

Uh oh. Was this the part where she kicked him out so she could get back to work? He did realize that she was in the middle of work and stuff, and he probably shouldn't linger too much longer. But he was glad when she answered that she also regretted not having made more plans to try and meet up again. He smiled slightly, but couldn't think of anything further to say on that topic, without saying things that might be best not to say. Instead, the topic shifted back to her busy schedule, and he listened as she mentioned some of the things she needed to get back to, and gave an amused smile as she spoke of the barracks master reports being less important. But he did not know much about the situation, so it the comment was a bit lost on him. Instead, he couldn't help blinking in surprise at the mission planning she mentioned. "You plan missions?" He asked, somehow finding that a bit of a surprise. "I mean, of course you plan things." He added, remembering who he was talking to. "It's just.. I don't really know how things work here. Gwestion and I usually just.. happen upon things, and do what we can to resolve issues.. you know?" He explained with a little shrug. "How much planning can you do for something this far ahead of time? How do you even.. you know.. know what to plan for?"

@Rillewen
She laughed freely when he unexpectedly said she probably expected him to bring her pastries and hot chocolate every day now. "Right," she went along with the joke. "Only, tomorrow I am bringing the hot chocolate in the morning, remember?" she asked, with an amused twinkle in her dark eyes. Part of her wondered if he was serious, even though she mostly didn't think he was. His tone had been one of jest, after all. And he couldn't possibly find such a use of his time interesting enough. Not to mention, the cost. No, he definitely wasn't being serious.

Glad that he was letting go of the drawing topic for now, and even more glad that he wasn't judging her for not wanting to use those skills in whatever way she could to help with law and order, Arnyn offered a little smile at his pun. "Nice one," she said a bit more quietly, still smiling.

"Sometimes," she nodded, in response to his question. "You and Gwestion work differently, in the north, for the most part." She wondered briefly how she could get him to understand. "Think about when I was with you, and we discussed what to do about the bandits. That was a plan, even if it was quickly made. We planned our approach then, as well. We planned how we would use certain tactics. It is like that. Only at a much larger scale." And a much scarier one. "For this endeavour to be successful, I need as much information as I can get my hands on, or we won't even have a fighting chance. Once I have everything I can, I need to come up with a method of operations - the one that will have the greatest odds of success. Then I need to try and account for every difficulty and obstacle that has a chance of presenting itself, so we can do what we can to avoid it, and in case it does happen, there is at least some kind of plan to deal with it." It was impossible, really. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to try. She wanted to bring everyone back. She had to bring everyone back. "I also have to think if there is any additional training required for those embarking on the mission, given the mission details." Her shoulders slumped a little, and the look in her eyes changed. "It's a lot of work, but... I just want everyone to be as prepared as they can be," she said.

@Arnyn


“We do still have a night sergeant, name of Hâdhon,” Thorley admitted, honestly. “But he seems to prefer the night shift because it is usually quieter. He hasn’t shown any interest in stepping up to manage things during the day. There are currently no rosters in the Captains absence and everyone is working on a very voluntary basis so far, people electing to take on the duty they most enjoy. Noone is raising any problems they are having yet, as far as I am aware. But that might be because there is no assigned person for them to tell. And, because we are short-manned, if any less desirable duties are not being accomplished by anyone at all for a long period of time, because there is currently nobody to think or check, .. it might only be by some damage done that we realise such things, belatedly. It would be preferable if you could send one of your people in, before anything of that sort occurs, yes. Thankyou Lieutenant. I know that the Guard and the Rangers have long worked in tandem with one another to keep the people safe and it is always heartening to witness such a relationship in action.”


Behind him, Domanol watched on in some amazement as the man he had practically had to drag along to see Arnyn had since all but decided to commence a meeting about the state of things which did not really relate to her. What powers did this woman possess ? To make a man of sound mind turn into a willing informant with the slightest of ease ? To put into effect all that she declared to be her intention ? Very efficient indeed. Should he run now, while he had the chance ? But no, he was the one who had approached her about transparency and intentions. Admittedly the King had encouraged him to do so, knowing what He knew.


“I should make you aware that the journal,” Thorley nodded after the small book, ”was not exactly found within either Androllius’s home or his office at Headquarters. But I believe my friend here can enlighten you with regard to that specific.” The Guard met Domanol with an exchange that seemed somewhat pre-arranged. As the handing over of a baton in a relay race. “And since I promised not to keep you from your own matters, any longer than is necessary, I might point out the small form,”

At this point, Domanol hid his face and shook his head in lieu of laughing out loud.

“that I must also leave for your attention, before I depart. I am told you were a witness to the discovery of a body quite recently, in the Pelennor. The one in the abandoned cellar ..” The fact that he had to allude to which body of maybe many the Ranger had encountered recently was unprecedented but necessary. The dead men in the Chandlery however came under the jurisdiction of the Harbour Guard in Harlond. While Rangers were privy to investigating matters throughout the entire reunited kingdom, the City Guard was not. But the Pelennor ? Yes, that was their responsibility.


“We have identified the unfortunate deceased as matching one of our reported missing persons. The same citizen who notified us of the deceased’s disappearance .. has confirmed it in person. But paperwork .. Whenever you have time,” he concluded, without demanding so forcibly as usual that the forms be completed. Again his associate watched on in some amazement. “I am sure you understand that we wish to be sure of all details so that the correct suspect can be held accountable for the crime in the end. Interviewing witnesses takes time and staff that we do not have at the moment and can prove quite obviously upsetting. I find that a written prompt can be less intimidating and account that no significant question is accidentally omitted, by some human error.”

Any more would be teaching a grandmother to suck eggs, he was sure. But as much as he was clearly keen to depart, having now brought all to light that ought be reported, Thorley, like Arnyn herself, was understandably busy.


“You and your forms ..” Domanol laughed outright, though it was not a hearty amusement, and rather more forced for the sake of breaking any awkwardness the two officials had just locked into. Of the three of them he was the only attendee with all the time in the word, and a natural inclination besides to simply deal with things in a less official capacity. “You must promise her that you will not lose it, if she does take time to wade through all that,” he teased.

“If we did, I would not be surprised if Lieutenant Dealedwen would prove to be the very one who found it,” Thorley almost smiled, although he had taken a breath at the other man’s remark. “I am very glad to have met you, Lieutenant. I am sure you will not let this one give you any trouble.” He did not glance at his friend although the other man was the most likely to make up ‘this one’. Unless the Guard had meant the enormity of the 'form' (more a pile of pages actually) itself.

@Arnyn
"Right, tomorrow you bring the chocolate." He nodded, recalling. "So, does that mean you want to take turns?" He joked, amused at the thought of them alternating bringing hot chocolate. "I'm kidding, of course.. I wouldn't come bother you too often. I don't want you getting tired of me." He grinned, teasing again. And maybe also hoping to hear her say she wasn't tired of him.

Gladhron was pleased that she enjoyed his little pun, having recalled, from the time she spent with them before, that she had enjoyed plays on words like that. It wasn't as often that he managed to come up with something like that, so it was nice that he'd managed to think of that one.

Listening as she explained about the mission planning, he nodded thoughtfully. He and Gwestion did operate differently from how things went here, apparently. Because there were many of them to work together in a large group, rather than just the two. In fact, from what he'd learned from speaking to others they met, the brothers were fortunate that they had each other to form a team. Others in the north tended to work solo, only occasionally coming across others to work together on a temporarily basis. He had to wonder what sort of mission she might be preparing for that needed so much planning this far in advance, but he wasn't sure he ought to ask.

"It sounds.. difficult." Gladhron frowned slightly at the way her shoulders slumped, and the change in her eyes. "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask more about it, so I'll.. not." He decided, figuring she could let him know whether he could ask or not. "Anyway, I know I'm not one of your rangers," He began hesitantly, but continued. "But if there's any way that I can help you with.. anything..." He shrugged. "Planning.. or distracting you from a headache, or.. whatever." He smiled slightly. "Or even.. if we're still around when this mission is going to happen.. if you need more people.." He left the rest unspoken, the offer made. After a brief hesitation, he held back a sigh as he added, "I probably should let you get back to your planning, then." He checked that his cup was empty before putting it back in the basket, and began gathering the rest of the things together, standing up after he had everything stuffed into the basket. "I meant that, though." He looked at her seriously. "I don't know if I could help with any of that, but...I can at least be a friend? If you need to talk or.. anything." He shrugged, giving a little smile as he hoped that he could be of some help to her, even if it was just in a small way.

@Ercassie
She filed away the name of the night sergeant. Hâdhon. So nights were more or less covered. As Thorledhos continued to explain the situation - and in more detail than Arnyn would figured he would, given the sometimes non-existent communications between the Guard's command and that of the Rangers - it became clear that her idea of how they were organizing themselves at the moment mostly reflected the reality of things. And, perhaps even more surprisingly, the Guard in front of her had no objections to the request she would be putting in. To the contrary, he was thanking her for it. And emphasizing cooperation between the two organizations.

It made her eyes light up a little, even when the Guard shared the journal had not been found in the places one might expect, and in doing so opened to door to imply it had been retrieved in a way that might not be entirely on the up-and-up. And when Thorledhos indicated the small form - the stack of papers, that is, which he had also placed upon her desk - and explained what they were for, a half-amused, half-incredulous grin spread across her features. Because the man was not only following up on an investigation, but he was undaunted by her position to do so, even if he was being very polite about it. And that checked all of the boxes she thought he should be checking.

"I will make time," she therefore promised with a pleased smile, before her features grew more serious again. "And even though I would assume you are already aware, since you are also aware of my presence at the time, I should also mention Hyandaner Kaylin Maethyr was also a witness - she came down the cellar with me," Arnyn offered. "I am not sure how much more she might add to my own testimony, but given I understand the need to be thorough - she lives on the Men Thalad Cirbann." A quick smile, then. "She will absolutely hate the paperwork, but she will fill it out if the Guard wishes," the Lieutenant stated, conveying that - if necessary - she would be looming behind the Hyandaner herself to make sure the form would be completed. "In a timely manner."

It seemed to Arnyn like she had some kind of rapport with Thorledhos, despite this being their first encounter, and she smiled again at what sounded like the Guardsman's parting words, undaunted by the man's more serious countenance. "Thank you, Guard Darthor." For the information and for those parting words. "Then we are both glad with this encounter," she revealed. "If there is anything else we can do from this end, I am at the Guard's disposal for as much as my Captain and the King will allow."

Her gaze moved to Domanol, though she chose not to speak of the man as if he were not sitting right there. "You and I," she addressed the seated man, "will see about that soon enough, won't we?" she asked him, as she put the letter inside of the leatherbound book and laid it atop the 'small form' on the desk, moving the collection to a specific place on her desk.

"Until we meet again, Thorledhos," she bid the Guardsman goodbye along with a quick motion of her fist to her heart, giving him permission to leave unless he might unexpectedly have further words for her.

The Lieutenant reclaimed her own seat, and leaned down to retrieve something from the pack on her side of the desk. Lifting an eyebrow, she placed something in front of Domanol, next to his strange collection of pocket items.

"If this can be of assistance." Before Domanol Raxelilta now lay a deck of cards.

---

@Rillewen
She laughed when he asked if she wanted to take turns. "Well, all I can say is I'm not tired of you yet. We have years to catch up on. But my Captain and I do switch up our shifts here," she grinned, "and while I am sure she would not mind hot chocolate and pastries to be brought to her, either, she might just bid you goodbye the moment you've handed them over," Arnyn teased her friend. "And even if I were here, I could not guarantee I'd be able to take a break every time, or that none of the Rangers would drop by with a matter, or that I would not be called away," she warned him honestly.

With a faint smile, she thought about what she could tell him. Not much, evidently. But she noticed the way he was trying to be helpful, regardless. And appreciated it greatly. The smile grew when he suggested he could distract her from a headache - for that would be most welcome - but it faded quickly when he suggested that he, and she assumed his brother, could go on the mission with them, if they needed the numbers. Her eyes widened minutely for just a second, before her expression grew serious and she straightened her shoulders again, meanwhile focusing on his hands putting everything away. Silently, she offered him the empty cup she'd been using.

When he emphasized he meant it, Arnyn slowly looked back up at him. He looked perfectly serious. So did she. A moment passed, before he shrugged and gave her a small smile. Arnyn wasn't sure what to say.

It was bad enough that her silly idealism had prompted her to advocate for this mission. It was bad enough that she was taking so many rangers with her, people she knew and cared for. But at least they had signed up for things like these. She'd known the implications for the Rangers when she had put forth the idea to the Captain and later, the King. Yet she had been tremendously relieved when Trastion had come to the conclusion he could not risk going. She shared his concerns about his true identity possibly being discovered by Isys or Abrazimir, of course. But she had also been relieved because... well, Trastion not going on the mission also meant there was no risk of him getting seriously injured or killed while on that mission. There were already so many variables to take into account, so many personal histories and hardships, possible triggers... It was good that Trastion was not going. She felt too protective of him, as yet. He was not yet where she would want him to be, before undertaking such a dangerous mission.
But now, Gladhron was saying he would be willing to go, if they were still around at the time. But, as he had also said, he - and Gwestion, for that matter - were not one of the rangers, here. She had never figured the brothers going would even be an option, until this moment. And honestly, she wanted to have a few friends left who would not be going.

She stood, as well, offering a very faint smile in return to his. "I... will make sure to remember that," she said quietly, stepping around to the side of the desk. She had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he was going to bring it up. Maybe they would leave, though, before the spring, and thus before the mission. Then it wouldn't even have to be a discussion. "Spring is a while off," she reminded him, for she hadn't gotten the impression they would be staying for more than just a few months. "If nothing else, you can definitely distract me from time to time." At least she could agree to that much already. That would jeapordize neither the secrecy of the mission, nor the brothers' safety.

@Pele Alarion It hadn’t taken Ziran long to get to the office from her home on the fifth level, despite the weariness in her limbs. The cold weather and the urgency of her errand, spurred on by the distress she had seen in Macardil, had lent a quickness to her steps. Pulling off her wool cap after coming through the heavy outer door and closing it behind her, she ran hurried fingers through her hair so that it looked a little less crazy, and made her way across the hall to the command office.

Noting the partly open door, a small smile tilted her lips as she tucked the wool cap into her pocket before knocking on the doorframe with her good hand and then slipping through the opening. “Captain? Pele? Mind if I disturb you?”

@Arnyn


A refreshing reaction to the necessary paperwork .. and the Lieutenant struck him as entirely capable to ‘make time’; no doubt enough for everything she wished to accomplish. Thorley nodded then, almost unsure what else there was to do, when spared from the usual complaints and criticism.

“I am aware,” the Guard assured her. “Although I was also under the impression that Hyandaner Maethyr is currently out of town on a vacation at this time ?” That was what he had been led to believe anyway. “Your Tirdinen and his daughter .. said .. ” he gave up just enough information to assure the Ranger that he did not know her peoples’ movements for any more nefarious reason than hearsay.


Or perhaps the wily redhead was already seeking to evade her share of the (written) consequences. In the end he decided to take Arnyn at her word, for he had no cause to doubt her. If she said that Kaylin would comply, with her superior’s encouragement, it surely would be so. She did not seem like the superiors he had known himself and therein was probably the reason why the Rangers were not in such dire traits as the City Guard were. Perhaps there was some way to recover the peoples’ faith in the local ‘Watch’ .. if they were only given opportunity. This conversation felt like a great opportunity had been satisfied.

“You know where to find me,” Thorley returned the fist to chest salute, And though he looked as though he might present some last word for his friend, before departing, there was no way he could manage to make ‘Good luck’ not seem to wear a negative tinge. So he took his leave in silence.


“Well,” Domanol resisted the urge to place his boots up on the lieutenant’s desk, And instead placed both flat against the floor instead, and straightened up some in his seat. As though his interest had just been piqued. “You’ve just gone and made one young man’s day,” he grinned, and nocked his head toward the door to be clear who. “I do hope I am not about to ruin yours.”

Leaning forward in his seat, the rogue Ranger watched Arnyn as she placed a deck of cards between them. His brown eyes rolled up from the new addition to meet the woman’s gaze after. “That is a whole lot of game you’re bringing to the table, Lieutenant,” he observed calmly. “I hear you don’t shock easily. But you are .. right. Of course, we will certainly see .. soon enough.”


Rising to his full height the man moved to cross the small space and close the office door behind his departed associate. With one hand then curled about the handle, for a moment Dom laid the other one flat against the wood and took a moment to convince himself this was not a mistake. Then he turned back to find the Ranger Lieutenant, not his lieutenant, as he was so fond of reminding Duinion. But here they were all the same.

The man sat back down in his seat with an abruptness which seemed at first like he might have fallen, except that he looked far too comfortable in the pose he had landed in. All that the trick was missing was a jubilant ‘Ta-da !' But that is not how he commenced their conversation now that they were to it. “So, now,” he invited her, spreading an arm each out to it’s side of him. “What can I possibly tell you .. that you don’t already know ?” The challenge appeared in the guise of friendly amusement, rather than concern or dare. What it would meet .. indeed .. they would have to see.


**NB. (The consequent conversation has been agreed to occur in private. Sorry pigeons. Its hush hush.)

@Karis Ziranphel
Captain Pele Alarion
Headquarters, command office
December 22, afternoon

While she had taken a couple morning hours to relax a little, Pele did not permit herself the whole day off and had exchanged her comfort wear for proper uniform when she set off for the headquarters. She took a detour through the kitchens to pick up lunch for Shamara so she could visit the woman and see if the Umbarian had come closer to gaining any reasonable understanding and perhaps even a smidgeon of remorse. Eventually she made it to the office proper and instead of sitting down to sort through any new reports, she took to tending to the indoor plants.

When Ziran knocked and found her way in without ever troubling the door, Pele turned towards her with a watering can in one hand and a few dry leaves of the plant in the other.

"Ah, Karis," she responded, a smile lighting up her face as she efficiently stowed away the watering can and disposed of the dry leaves in the bin. "Now, what is it that you wish to disturb me with? Hopefully nothing horrible?" she queried, and then motioned towards a chair. "Does it require sitting down to it?" As if to show example, she moved around to sit comfortably on her own chair, and then tilted her head slightly as she studied Ziran in an attempt to guess the reason for the coming even before anything was said.

@Pele Alarion
Ziran found Pele caring for the greenery in the office, with watering can and leaf detritus in her hands. She smiled slightly in response to Pele’s smile and slowly walked over to the desk as Pele cleaned up and took her seat. Huffing a half-laugh at her comments, she tipped her head slightly in a noncommittal gesture before pulling out the chair in front of the desk and seating herself in the much less comfortable version. Withdrawing her taped up left hand from her pocket, she reached forward and placed the small packet of cookies on the desk while speaking. “My reasons are twofold. First, to bring you a sweet treat for the midwinter celebrations. Spiced cookies that we made a few days ago.”

Sitting back, her smile remained a moment before disappearing. “The second reason is more serious. I’d like to request some time to travel, beginning immediately, and hopefully returning soon. I’d like to say it is for the lighthearted reason of actually taking a honeymoon away from home, but it isn’t entirely.” Ziran chewed on her lip slightly and then continued, tucking her hands between her knees and leaning forward slightly. “Macardil has just discovered that the daughter of his best friend, the family of whom he believed had all died in a fire, and for whom he was guardian, is alive and married to a certain Lord Ansellidus.” She nodded once. “Yes, the same we met in Lond Col, whose rider antagonised Macardil into riding without his visor. There are certain details about her situation that do not seem quite right, so not only does he want to see her as soon as possible, we don’t want to give much prior-notice, so that Lady Ansellidus may be as safe as possible.” Ziran paused slightly. “It would be deemed improper for him to visit alone, and I would like to accompany him, not just in my capacity as Lady Himhathol, but as additional help if the situation warrants it, although hopefully that is not needed.” It was a lot to process, and so she fell silent to let her captain and friend think it through.

@Karis Ziranphel
Captain Pele Alarion
Headquarters, command office
December 22, afternoon

"Ah, you think I should continue celebrating, yes?" Pele allowed herself a quiet laugh as she glanced at the cookies. "They certainly look inviting... appetising, should I say." She also took note of her friend's taped hand and asked: "The cookie baking was surely not the cause of your injury? Nothing too grievous though, right?"

The other reason was indeed more serious, and Pele's slightly silly mood was replaced by a thoughtful silence as she considered the information provided.

"Ansellidus. I cannot say that I had taken much liking to him or that representative of his for the joust," she finally said. "And I can imagine there might be grounds for concern based on this, let alone other details that I might not be aware of. Say... In the worst case scenario imaginable, do you think you might need extra help?"

After another short silence, Pele spoke again: "Would a week be sufficient for your purposes? We would have to do some sea training before the Umbar mission, and it would be good if you were back before that. In one piece, mind you."

Ziran smiled slightly and shook her head at Pele’s question about whether the cookie baking had been the cause of her injury, and again later when she asked about needing help. She truly hoped nothing that bad was going on. They could justify going themselves, but she couldn’t see justifying more rangers. Mention of sea training brought a nod and raise of her brows. She found it easiest to answer the lighter matter first. “It's just a sprain from training on the ropes course today. No long-term damage, but holding my bow will be a bit painful for a week or so.”

Considering the distance and possible situations had her pausing a moment before replying slowly. “I would hope a week would be sufficient, although we may take a few days longer if we add any travel beyond their estate. Not knowing what we will find makes it difficult to answer that, yet I also don’t think we will need backup at this point. Macardil and I are both capable enough, and can send word if any form of assistance is needed.”

Ziran straightened slightly, squaring her shoulders at that. “I anticipate being back before any further training for the mission, although I would suggest land-based drills first such as I was doing for those less familiar with being aboard ship. The Spring will be dangerous enough on the sea. If we end up doing any winter training it will be brutal. Learning the ropes on land before time could save lives.” She lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. “My hand is testament to the increased difficulty of cold, let alone wet ropes, and I have sailed plenty of times. While I’ve never had to do combat from shipboard, I’ve lent a hand to discount my passage to Anfalas a few times.” A small smile followed. “I will do my best to return in one piece and hopefully rested and relaxed rather than weary.”

@Arnyn
Gladhron couldn't help a grin when she assured him that she was not tired of him... yet. However, as she mentioned that the captain might be in the office at some times, he gave a little nod. "Duly noted," He grinned in amusement and wondered what the captain was like, and whether she would actually accept something meant for Arnyn. But, whatever. He wasn't actually planning to bring anything like that, unless Arnyn actually did seem interested in him doing so. If she did express interest in him doing something like that, he might try to do it... not every day, but frequently, at least.

The way her smile faded a bit let him know that she did not seem terribly enthused about his offer. Gladhron was not entirely sure what to make of it, and so he watched her a little more closely, trying to read a little, from what little there was to read. His offer to join the mission had, apparently, surprised her? Alarmed her? He wasn't sure what the widened eyes meant, nor the straightening of her shoulders. But it didn't seem as if she was too eager to agree to that. While he was a little disappointed, he couldn't claim to be terribly surprised.

There was a moment where they just looked back at each other in seriousness. It felt too serious, and Gladhron had to fight the urge to make some joke to lighten the mood. Her response finally broke the silence, much to his relief, and he gave a little nod. Yes.. Spring was a long way off. He couldn't deny that. And yet, he also couldn't help being very curious about this mission, now that it seemed she was reluctant to have him join.. or even tell him anything about it. As she gave 'consent' for him to come and distract her now and then, Gladhron's smile grew a little. "Alright. If that's all I can do, then at least I'll do that." He promised, a little amused.

"I guess I should let you get back to your planning, then." He tried not to sound too reluctant. "I'll see you in the morning, then?" He mentioned, as he prepared to leave. "And don't worry, I won't mention the hot chocolate surprise to the others." He promised again, smiling as he let her know that he remembered. Holding out his hand to give her a brief clasp of forearms in parting, he smiled at her. "Until then." He said, before grabbing the basket. He turned back to wave at the door, then slipped through and exited, his smile fading away to be replaced by a somewhat puzzled expression as he wondered about the mission she was working on.

@Karis Ziranphel
Captain Pele Alarion
Headquarters, command office
December 22, afternoon

Pele was satisfied to learn that Ziran's injury was nothing too serious and would be likely to heal soon, and she gave a slight nod in acknowledgement of that.

"Then it sounds more like two weeks rather than one, to allow for a couple days of leisure after business is taken care of," a hint of smile reappeared and added warmth to her blue gaze. "I truly hope that the worst you would have to handle would be dishing out a few stronger words to that lord Ansellidus. Also, I am sure that you will find even the winter scenery lovely for your relaxation purposes, though it be lacking flowers in bloom currently."

She considered Ziran's words on training thoughtfully for a few moments, and then replied: "Fair enough, Karis. I'll make a point of ensuring that our folks are prepared as well as possible in things that can be practiced on the ground. If we do set out for sea training in winter, yes, it might be very tough, but perhaps it is best to prepare in such conditions before facing whatever else might follow during the mission." Pele did not intend on losing any one soul during the mission, as far as it depended on her. Much less while training.

"Are you planning on leaving this very evening already?" she then returned to the matter of travel. "Or tomorrow morning? Since you say it is a matter of some urgency?"

@Pele Alarion
Ziran sat back a little as she listened to Pele’s reply, internally agreeing wholeheartedly with the hope that only words would be needed, if that. She nodded, but could tell that her captain was still thinking, so remained quiet until Pele shared her thoughts on training and then asked about departure plans.

Her face relaxed into a slightly rueful smile as she replied. “While there is urgency, I think we will plan on leaving before dawn rather than tonight. It will allow us to travel faster in daylight, and hopefully not stop along the way, while leaving tonight would require stopping at an inn. I haven’t had much rest, and there are a few things we will need to plan and arrange before leaving. I for one require a bit of planning regarding my wardrobe in different ways than I would on a Ranger mission.” Ziran gave a smiling shake of her head despite the serious reason for travel. “It would be best to go prepared, rather than approach too hastily, but Macardil is working on details already.”

She rose and placed her fist over her heart in salute. “Thank you Pele. Captain. I appreciate the permission, and wish you Midwinter Joy. Until the new year.” Relaxing from formality, she stepped forward to clasp Pele’s forearm in the warrior’s greeting of friendship before taking her leave. There was much to be done yet before sleep, and she needed to bring her husband the news.

@Karis Ziranphel
Captain Pele Alarion
Headquarters, command office
December 22, afternoon

"Good," Pele nodded in affirmation of the fact that the two would not be leaving in an overly great rush. "Suppose more fancy dress wearing for you then," she added and held back a laugh. "Supposedly good to wear something lovely now and then. I will also not worry overly much then, considering you both are highly effective and meticulous in planning and execution of plans."

She then left her chair and returned the salute wholeheartedly before returning the forearm clasp.

"Bring my greetings to Macardil. And hoping you will enjoy most of your travel. Stay safe and yes, till the next year," she responded to Ziran, the smile broadening.

She would stand around for a few moments longer after Ziran's leaving and stretch out a bit before sitting down at her desk again.

@Ercassie
"Right," Arnyn recalled, when the guardsman mentioned Kaylin's vacation. "I should have remembered there was a reason for the decrease in incident reports from the barracks master," she mused. Brian hadn't exactly warmed up to the redhead since the latter had slapped some oil lamp shard deeper into his back during the fire last summer. It seemed that almost every sighting of the Hyandaner had had Brian's knickers in a twist since then. "You may leave the form in her mailbox, however. I will add in a note of my own that it is not optional, and to be completed and returned to Guard headquarters within two days of her return. And," she added with a faint smile, "to prove I am not harsher on my rangers than I am with myself, I will complete and return the form within two days from today, as well." That seemed to be satisfactory, for Thorledhos returned the fist to chest salute, before he left.

At Domanol's observation about bringing game to the table, Arnyn nodded slowly. "I have more game than people realize," she replied just as calmly as she watched him as he rose from his seat. While the Lieutenant leaned back in her seat, curious to see what the so far enigmatic Domanol Raxelilta had come here to speak about.

[End - as explained by Cassie's post]

---

@Rillewen
He didn't fight her on not agreeing to anything other than him distracting her from time to time, and that was a relief. Perhaps Gladhron wouldn't bring it up again, and she could rest assured she wasn't dragging him and his brother into this mission as well. Even if they were rangers, too... it was not the same. Was it?

"You will," she confirmed when he asked about the next morning, as a way of drawing the conversation to an end. "Thanks," she smiled softly when he in turn confirmed he hadn't forgotten about not mentioning the hot chocolate to the others. Arnyn clasped his arm when he offered it, and found it easy to genuinely return his smile. "Until then," she repeated his words after they let go and he grabbed the basket. Arnyn following him to the door and leaned against the doorframe. When he turned a bit to wave, she raised her hand in goodbye.

Her brown eyes assessed the headquarters main hall. No one was in sight. Before he had gone halfway between the command office and the exit, Arnyn called out to him. "Gladhron?" A brief pause. "Thank you. For this." Before he could really respond, however, Arnyn turned back into the office. The door, she left open.

@Arnyn



He could hardly believe it had already been about a week after the masquerade, and yet, at the same time, it felt like it had been ages ago. Trastion had mostly tried to stay inside since the masquerade. Partly because it was cold... it was colder up on the sixth level than anywhere he had ever lived, being so high up the mountain. But it also had a great deal to do with the fact that his family was staying in the city, and he was a bit nervous about accidentally encountering any of them. So, unless he had training, duties, or some other cause to take him out of the barracks, he had been trying to mostly stay inside and out of sight, and in the warmth of the common areas.

Needless to say, he was getting a bit bored and restless, but he didn't quite know what else to do. It was well before dawn when he awakened. He dressed quietly, trying not to wake his roommates, then grabbed his gear and slipped out to the little mess to grab a quick breakfast before training. Before long, he was strolling out to the Armory to greet Cali as she started up the forge, and offered any assistance she might need in doing so while he waited for Arnyn. After all, he would only be cold if he waited outside in the training area, and the forge was quickly heating up the armory.

@Rillewen
She was later than usual. Actually, given that she was usually early, rather than on time, and that it was now almost halfway into the hour that they had set for these morning training sessions... Arnyn was indubitably late. For the first time.

She left her hood pulled up as she walked into the well lit armoury, her head tilted down a little. Taras was helping Cali, or at least as much as the smith would let him. "Hello, Cali," she greeted the smith succinctly, her tone more flat than either the smithy or her trainee were used to. "Hello, Taras," she said, stopping just short of a table that stood between her and the exit to the small training area outside. The Lieutenant stared at the table for a few heartbeats, before moving around it. "We had better get started." Everything she said sounded very carefully pronounced. She stepped outside.

The darkness was lifting, but it was still much less light out here than it had been, inside. Arnyn tilted her head level as soon as she moved outside, and rubbed her temple with one hand as she turned to Trastion. "Warm up," she ordered, as per usual, while taking off her cloak. First, however, she drained her canteen of water, before starting their basic exercises, such as a bit of stretching, push ups and sit ups. In between sets, she refilled her canteen and drank from it regularly.

@Arnyn



The bell tolled to mark the beginning of the hour, and Trastion paused from adding some coal into the forge, as requested. "Shoot, I didn't realize it was already time." He swiftly dusted off his hands, grabbed his cloak, and hurried out to the training area. But Arnyn was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, puzzled, then hesitated as he debated what to do. After waiting a couple of minutes, he hurried back inside, arms wrapped around himself as he came back inside. "Weird," He muttered, looking puzzled.

"What, isn't she there?" Cali asked in surprise.

"No.. I thought she'd be out there waiting for me, but.. she wasn't there yet." He said, frowning in puzzlement.

Cali tilted her head, glanced toward the window, then back toward Trastion. "Did you check at the office? Maybe she had something to do before your training?" She suggested, trying to think of any possible reason why Arnyn would be late arriving for this. She was never late, and for her to not be early was.. odd.

"I'll give it a minute, then I'll check there." Trastion decided, willing to give the lieutenant a couple of minutes, in case something may have delayed her. Who knows, maybe her brother had caused some sort of delay. He knew that Tercen was staying with her at this time. He might have caused some sort of horrid mess that Arnyn felt compelled to clean up before leaving her house.

After a few minutes, Trastion left the armory again, this time to check the command office. No one was there, however, except the person on guard duty. Trastion frowned and took a moment to think, then he went to check the armory briefly.

"You are having training with her this morning, right?" Cali asked, wondering if Trastion could have a break today, and had forgotten.

"Umm.. I think so?" He frowned. "I.. uh. Maybe I should check." He realized he could not quite be certain. It was now about twenty after, and there was still no sign of Arnyn. This was very odd.. so, maybe Cali's suggestion was right? He sighed. "I'll be back," he told her, then set off to his dorm to check the schedule he had written out there, which had been rather helpful in enabling him to keep track of everything.

Shaking her head lightly, Cali hoped that was all it was. Because that would totally explain why Arnyn had not arrived yet. She was already thinking about where else the lieutenant might be. When Trastion returned, he had brought his small schedule booklet with him. "Today is the twenty-eight, right?" He checked, just to be sure.

"Right." Cali confirmed.

"Yeah.. I thought so. We are supposed to train today," He said, confused. "This is.. weird." He frowned and took a moment to think. "You don't think she forgot.. do you?" He asked, rather dubiously.

Cali might have laughed at the idea, any other day. But considering the lieutenant was not there, and also, considering the amount of work she'd been taking on lately, and the amount of paperwork she'd seen the lieutenant working on these past couple of months... the thought was actually worth considering. "The only other thing places I can think of where she might be," Cali said slowly, while motioning for Trastion to hold something for her for a moment, "is her house, or maybe..." She cut off what she'd been about to say, when the door opened. And, none other than Arnyn entered. "Ah... there she is." She said in relief, softly.

Trastion breathed out a little sigh of relief, himself. "We were getting worried!" He declared, but paused when he noticed the way she was just... standing there. Staring at the table, but it was almost like she had not seen it until she nearly walked into it. He frowned, feeling a new flicker of concern, especially at the way she was looking down and keeping her hood up. Was she embarrassed about being so late? Perhaps she'd overslept? As if anyone would blame her at all for that... considering all the work she managed. The way she spoke, he thought she sounded tired. Again, understandable.

"Are you alright, Arnyn?" Cali asked, tilting her head slightly as she watched her. It was very unlike her, first of all, to be this late. And while she figured everyone was entitled to oversleep once in a while, it was also unlike Arnyn not to ask her about the armory and such. But maybe she was preoccupied or something, she told herself.

Trastion was wondering the same, but he said nothing for now. Instead, he set the thing down that he'd been holding, grabbed his gear, and went outside with her to begin warming up. "I thought for a moment I got my days mixed up," He mentioned as he started stretching, trying to find out some sort of clue about why she'd been so late. Noticing how frequently she drank from her canteen, he tried to think. Why would she be so thirsty when they'd barely done anything, yet? Could it be that she was feeling sick? He'd heard you ought to drink plenty of liquids when you're sick, and it would explain the way she was acting sort of... off. "Lieutenant, are you feeling alright?" He asked with concern, after seeing her take yet another drink.

@Rillewen
She'd heard Cali's question, but her reply had been so lowly mumbled, neither Cali nor Trastion had been able to make out the words.

The recruit's voiced concern that he'd gotten his days mixed up, was not met with a reply. Which was uncharacteristic. He didn't take the hint her silence conveyed, however. Instead, he asked her whether she was alright.

Was she alright? No. Not at all.

"I'm fine," was the almost automatic response. Soon enough, though, she seemed to reconsider. "Clearly - I am not at my best." Having completed her own sets by now, Arnyn rose to her feet. "I am feeling under the weather," she told him, to explain whatever behaviour he might feel was off. She crossed her arms. "That does not mean I am useless, however. I do not have a fever. There is no need for me to be in bed." Her words came more slowly than usual, and every single one of them was carefully enunciated. "Think of today as an opportunity, Taras. I am not on top of my game. Show me what you have learned. Try and beat me at swordplay, once you finish your sets."

@Arnyn



Trastion couldn't help but feel skeptical about her claim that she was fine. There was definitely something off about her, but a moment later, she added some clarification. She was feeling 'under the weather'. Clearly. He nodded slowly, still concerned, but a bit more understanding. Still. He thought whatever it was had come upon her rather quickly... Unless she'd been hiding minor symptoms for a few days. Maybe she'd caught something from someone at the masquerade? He thought that was possible.

Before he could suggest that maybe she ought to go see a healer, or at least cancel plans for today and get some rest, the lieutenant insisted that she was alright, and didn't need to be in bed. Well... he figured she probably knew her limits better than he did, so who was he to argue with her? Even if his concern made him want to do just that.

The challenge, however, caught him off guard. He blinked. Try to beat her? He wasn't sure if that was even possible. But he had also thought that about trying to land a hit on Kaylin, and he'd managed that after a few weeks of trying. He tried his best to stop worrying about her. If it was serious, surely she would have gone to the healers by now, so he nodded as he stood up. He'd finished his exercises already, while Arnyn was doing hers.. which was also unusual since she usually finished first. "Alright, but if you start feeling worse, or like you need a break... let me know, please?" He asked, concerned. He definitely recalled how miserable he had felt, when he'd been dealing with a concussion, and how hard it had been to do much of anything.

Once he was sure that she was ready for him, he began coming at her, first a bit more cautiously to sort of test how well focused she was.. he couldn't help but recall how she had nearly walked into that table in the armory, or at least that was how he had perceived it, so he was also taking this opportunity to make sure he exercised control, rather than relying on her to block his strikes, as it was often too easy to get in the habit of doing.

@Rillewen
In the greyish light that was slowly starting to descend upon them, she could tell he was not exactly enthusiastic when she told him to try and beat her. But why would he not wish to try, now that he had a chance? For his skill level was not advanced enough yet to have much of a chance against a Hyandaner.

She rolled her eyes when he asked to let him know in case she started feeling worse, or if she might need a break. "Yeah, yeah," she dismissed the request, while retrieving the practice blades and handing him one.

Her eyes were narrowed as they began - not something she usually did. She did not comment on the way he was holding back and seemed to be building up his attacks. She parried, blocked and evaded them all, although Trastion would note she was moving more slowly and less economically than every other time they had sparred like this. For Arnyn and Trastion had sparred countless times, by now, and he knew how she moved.

She used his evident caution to land a hit on his shoulder. "Control is good, Taras. But you are holding back. I told you I am not feeling well. That does not suddenly make me incapable. Faster!" she demanded of him, sounding just as strict and demanding as she otherwise did when they trained like this.

@Arnyn



Trastion was trying to be really careful, mentally treating it as if they were using live blades, even though they weren't. Still, a blow from one of these could still be rather painful, and he didn't want to actually injure her by mistake. He couldn't help noticing that she was.. definitely not herself. Her parries and blocks were slow, and she wasn't fighting quite as smoothly as usual. Very strange.

When she protested his 'holding back', he held back a sigh as she demanded that he move faster. Well, he felt a bit bad taking advantage of the fact she was sick, and it was clearly affecting her ability to fight. While it was, perhaps, a good idea to train despite being sick, so that you know you can fight if you have to even if you're sick, he wasn't sure how he'd feel about beating her in a sparring session today, with her clearly feeling so bad. It wouldn't really be a fair fight, after all.

But she was also his mentor, and his lieutenant. And he couldn't exactly disobey an order, after all. So, he gave a brief nod and went for a swift series of attacks that he'd held back from attempting, and since she blocked and parried all of those, he continued to attack, moving from one to another. It was actually rather unusual, how little she moved around. Having sparred with her so many times, he knew that she usually did a lot of evading, sidestepping, pivoting... but today, she seemed to be relying mostly on blocking, with some attempted counterattacks thrown in. Since she didn't do anywhere near as much of her usual dancing around the ring, that meant that she wasn't moving from that spot very much, which made it much easier for Trastion to stay on the offensive and keep attacking, without having to chase her around the ring. Which also meant that, rather than Arnyn keeping Trastion busy, he was the one keeping Arnyn busy defending herself, and he found to his surprise that he was able to block all of her attempts at counterattacking. She was just... that slow.

She wasn't using her usual style, he noticed. None of the small, nearly imperceptible motions she typically used when blocking and parrying, none of the risky maneuvers that she tended to go for that she usually ended up getting him with. He was able to block her every strike, even if she did keep him working hard at it. Because, even with her being noticeably slower than usual, and even with her being affected so much by whatever was ailing her, she was still pushing him to work his hardest to keep from taking a strike. But he managed. And that was the first time that had happened, ever.


(as agreed with arnyn's writer)

@Rillewen
The sparring continued, more or less as long as it usually did. If Arnyn was indeed feeling unwell, it did not cause her to call for an earlier stop.

Finally, after knocking Trastion's sword out of way yet again, she lifted her off hand to signal a stop. She was breathing heavily, assessing Trastion while she tried to get her heartbeat to slow back down a little. "Good," she told him after a while, before going back to where she'd left her canteen earlier, next to the wall, and emptying it yet again. She dropped it back to the ground rather unceremoniously, along with the practice weapon. Leaning against the wall with one shoulder, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.

"No training tomorrow morning," she said, looking at Trastion with a faint smile. "But I will see you the next day."

@Arnyn



Trastion had never come so close to defeating Arnyn, and yet, he didn't really feel very triumphant about it, today. Considering the reason why, it just didn't seem right that they were even sparring. She may claim she was well enough not to be in bed resting, but he figured it couldn't have hurt, if she had stayed home today. Might have helped, anyway, with whatever was going on with her.

When she finally called for a halt, he lowered his sword without hesitation. In fact, he was a bit out of breath from the effort of their sparring, just as he usually was, even if it had been rather different. After she'd uttered only a single word, 'good', he watched as she went over to her canteen, finished it off, and dropped both it and her weapon. Tilting his head, Trastion waited for a moment longer, expecting.. something. It was really weird, how little she was speaking to him. How she was articulating her words, as she was. Usually, she would've been asking him things, or talking to him as they sparred. Usually, she'd be offering tips, or reassurance about things, but today... nothing. Except a curt 'good'. At least that sounded positive?

He was further surprised when she declared that they would not be training tomorrow, but then that sounded as if maybe she had decided she didn't feel well enough for this, after all. Maybe, she meant to rest tomorrow. That'd be good. He nodded. "I hope you feel better soon." He told her quietly, leaning over to pick up the practice sword she had dropped, then after a brief pause, he also grabbed her canteen and without a word, went to refill it for her.

"Maybe you should get a healer to take a look at you..?" He suggested tentatively as he returned and set the canteen where it would be in reach for her. But then he thought maybe she might not like him suggesting that, and decided he should probably just go. "Anyway... I'll see you day after tomorrow." He smiled slightly, although he couldn't fully hide his concern for her as he did. Then he set off back toward the armory to return the practice swords, glancing back as he neared the door.

@Rillewen
"Thank you," she said when he offered his hopes of her feeling better soon. He picked up her practice sword to put it away, and also refilled her water for her. Taking a deep, slow breath as she watched his movements, with a tired half-smile on her face. Trastion's suggestion of a healer almost made her laugh. It was easy to see that he was concerned, however, and she filed that away for later. "We will see," she responded non-committally. "See you then."

Before doing anything else, she watched him go. She would make sure he had left, first. A good thing, too, for he looked back over his shoulder right before he got to the door. Still leaning against the wall with one shoulder, Arnyn lifted her hand in a brief wave. Leaaaave, already, she could not help but think.

@Arnyn



After seeing her wave, Trastion gave another nod, then went inside. He had gotten hot while training, but the air was still quite cold, and he figured it wouldn't be such a good idea to stand around in the cold, while sweaty.

"How'd it go?" Cali asked, glancing up from hammering a rivet into place on a bracer.

"I.. don't know." Trastion frowned as he hung the practice swords up in their places. "It was weird. Like, she's clearly not feeling well. But she insisted on training. And then she was.. not really fighting like she usually does. Like I said, weird."

Cali frowned a little. "I noticed she didn't seem like herself."

"She said there'd be no training, tomorrow." He added. "But we were originally going to. So, I figure maybe she realized she wasn't feeling up to it, today. I hope that means she's going to rest, anyway." He sighed. "I've never seen her so.. unwell. It was almost like I was sparring with someone else, not Arnyn."

Cali glanced at him, her thoughts flashing back to the incident from back in the summer. "Just.. to check, but.. you are sure it's her? Right?"

Trastion blinked, suddenly reminded of that, too. "Well.. I.. yeah? I mean, who else would it be? I know Arnyn pretty well.. and that sorceress lady is dead, so..."

"Right." Cali let out a slow breath, trying not to feel so paranoid. "Sorry, I knew that. I was.. there." She shrugged. "Just had a little.. moment," She smiled faintly. "Anyway.. I'm sure Arnyn'll be fine. Maybe I'll suggest that she drink some orange juice or something."

Trastion nodded slightly. "Yeah, good idea." He smiled faintly and then waved. "See you later, Cali." He headed off to the barracks to clean up and change.

Cali waved back and then finished what she was working on, then set her hammer down and went to the window to glance out. Since she hadn't seen Arnyn come through, she was hoping she had gone inside one of the other buildings, but if she was still out there, she was going to go check on her.

@Rillewen
Once the door closed behind Trastion, she counted to ten. Twenty. Then she shifted her back against the wall and slowly went through her knees, until she was sitting down on the ground. Manwë's breath. Whatever made me come up with this idea in the first place? And is it really worth all this? She had read all about it, of course, and had gone over all the possible side effects. But either she had overestimated her ability to beat the worst symptoms overnight - or she had taken too strong a dose to start off with.

Arnyn shifted so she could lie down. It didn't matter that the ground was stone cold. Cold was actually kind of nice, now. Her blurry vision at least, had disappeared during the warm up. Otherwise, she would not have been able to keep Trastion from landing a hit on her. And that would have surely made him worry way too much. He was already worried enough, as it was. That much had been obvious.
The night had drained her, however, much more than she had thought it would. She had hardly slept, and she'd emptied her stomach a few times. Less, she told herself. Less, next time.

It hadn't been her first self-chosen experience with the poison. She'd tested it before, over the summer - how bad the effects were after the poison had been coated onto a blade. After the blade had been coated for one day. Two days. Three days. Just so she had known for sure how ineffective it would be by the third day. And that none of the rangers would need to worry about Relic having coated any weapons anywhere with her preferred poison.

As to why she was doing this, now...? Well, there was no actual problem or query she needed an answer to this time, like there had been with the poisoned blades. And it was not that she was bored. Ha. Nor did she feel a need to adopt any of the former Muinamacar's habits. It was just... with everything she had heard about Umbar, and impossible abilities... At least the poison was something mundane. At least it was something she could guard against, right? The thought had come to her, a while ago already. But she'd hesitated. She'd hesistated even after getting her hands on some of the leaves. But after her conversations with Ava, with what she had said about her mother... It had been the last little push.

Because... What if someone, anyone, would try to poison any of them? What if it was such a common practice in Umbar to coat your weapons in it, every day? She couldn't - wouldn't - dismiss any possibility anymore. These Umbarians were mad. The thought that just one well-aimed cut could incapacitate any of them, no matter how good they were...
Arnyn hadn't been able to shake it. She had started to wonder: What if the rangers could somehow build up a tolerance against it? What if the poison would just no longer work on them at all? Wouldn't that take away a mighty weapon from their foes? It might even be worth the trouble just to watch the confusion on the enemy's face! Hadn't they earned the right to shock the other side, for once?!

Or so she had thought. With how she was feeling now, however, Arnyn was questioning all of that. Was she really going to continue this? Was one night not enough? She had tried. One of her gambles. Not every gamble could work in her favor... Maybe she would just have to admit this had been a bad one? Let it get out of her system, and let go of the idea. Which surely everyone else would deem much too dangerous - and therefore, ridiculous. That was the reason why she had not told anyone, after all. Because she had known no one would support it.

@Arnyn



When she looked out of the window, Cali first thought that the lieutenant was gone. But, now that it was a little lighter out, she noticed something on the ground, and had to angle her head a little to see better. But once she did, she frowned. Was that a foot she saw, over by the wall? She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed her cloak and threw it around her shoulders before stepping outside to look more closely.

Not just a foot, but a whole lieutenant, lay on the ground near the wall. Cali hesitated, then stepped a little closer. "Arnyn?" she said softly, wondering if she needed to get a healer. Had she passed out? Or was she only resting from being exhausted? She couldn't tell, and this seemed unlike Arnyn, and she couldn't help being concerned.

@Rillewen

Her latest lead had been rather reclusive. Perhaps he was simply aware of his stepfather's ambitions and he was playing it smart. Regardless, she'd been watching. Carefully. The Fox had returned from the Masquerade to the Barracks. And therefore, Jade knew where her target resided. And she had been staking out the place. It required all of her skills, hard earned as they were. To remain unnoticed, by all these rangers. To determine which of them might fit the bill for the Fox - and her target. The rooftops, stealth and utter silence, were her friends in this endeavour.

She had noticed the young man coming into the barracks in the early morning, one day. After which she had started her watch earlier, and earlier still. Until she had noticed him leaving - almost every morning - for training. With a blonde ranger. By now, Jade had found out that it was the second in command. The Lieutenant. It seemed that she had taken this young man under her wing. That could be a problem.
Either way, Jade still had to make sure that this young man in question - was in fact the one she was looking for. And so she kept following him. There could not be another mistake. Her hand slowly touched her shoulder. She could definitely not afford another mistake.

This morning was proving to be much more interesting than usual. The Lieutenant seemed off. It was so intriguing, in fact, Jade had maintained her position upon the roof even after the young man - Trastion - left. The Lieutenant sat. Then lay down on the ground. Jade's eyes narrowed in thought. This... was... unusual. The young man had shown concern, earlier. It seemed like the Lieutenant was more than just off. She was ill. Jade wet her lips. Was this an opportunity? The Hand might want her to take it. It might make up for her mistake with Urion. It might...

Yet that path was soon blocked, when the smith left the armoury and approached the Lieutenant. Jade frowned. Whatever else might be said about this morning... it was a curious one.


Someone said her name. Arnyn groaned. Cali, she realized. It was Cali. The Lieutenant opened her eyes. "Yes, Cali?" she asked, sounding as if she were just strapping on her sword or something.

@Arnyn



Watching the lieutenant, Cali was unsure if she'd heard her groan or not. But then she responded in a tone as if everything was fine. Cali tilted her head, wondering if she was reading too much into all this. Still, lying on the ground like that didn't seem like normal Arnyn behavior, and with everything else that had been going on this year, she just... couldn't shake her instinct that something was off.

Yet, she figured Arnyn would only insist she was fine, if Cali tried to ask her that. It seemed to be a typical ranger response, from what she had learned while working in the armory, surrounded by them. So, she decided to try a different approach. "I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if maybe you could help me with something?" She asked tentatively. "Inside." If nothing else, maybe she could get out of the cold. And if the lieutenant was feeling sick, she surely wouldn't want anyone else coming along and seeing her like that, right? So, Cali was doing her a favor, getting her inside, where she was less likely to be seen. And if she really was fine and there was no need for concern, then she really did have a couple of things she could use an extra hand with. Win-win for everyone, right?

@Rillewen
Arnyn was staring up at the sky, which was still brightening slowly. Cali's request made her want to say no. She wanted to just lay here a moment longer, before she had to rise and continue the rest of her day. It was not tremendously busy, not today. She had made sure of that, beforehand. However, she had still been planning on letting Narsule get some exercise, and she was scheduled to be in the office this afternoon. Even if no meetings had been planned.

Telling Cali 'no', however, would raise more questions than Arnyn wanted. So, she took a slow, deep breath, so Cali wouldn't notice, and then sat up and rose to her feet in the smooth way she usually would. Having rested a moment seemed to have helped. Alas, the headache had returned, and she was still feeling faint from the lack of sleep and not having anything in her stomach since she'd kept retching it up.

"Sure," she told the smith with a small smile. After gathering her things, Arnyn moved for the door to the armoury. "What is it you need help with?" she inquired, hoping it'd be something small that wouldn't take much physical effort of time.

@Arnyn



Cali was glad she so readily agreed. After they had both gotten inside, she grabbed an item she had set aside at some point, because she had to wait until she had an extra pair of hands to assist her, and showed Arnyn what she needed, which was mostly just to hold it a certain way while Cali did what she needed to do.

"While you're here," Cali hesitated. "I sort of wanted to ask your advice about something, too." She admitted while she worked. Taking her time, to make sure she got it correct. "There's a friend of mine that is.. well, I don't want to get anyone in trouble," She hesitated. "Um, do you remember the first time I talked to you, when I was so worried and stressed about that kidnapper guy who'd threatened me and Iole, and I wasn't sleeping?"

@Rillewen
The Lieutenant held the piece according to Cali's instructions. When the smith took a hammer, Arnyn mentally sighed, but prepared for the inevitable noise that wouldn't exactly soothe her headache. She forced herself not to wince as Cali hammered a rivet into place. "Advice?" Arnyn repeated questioningly, glancing up at Cali instead of keeping her eyes on the item.

When Cali started to explain, Arnyn frowned slightly. "Yes, I remember," she confirmed, waiting for the smith to go on.

@Arnyn



Cali briefly checked the rivet to make sure it had set properly, then nodded to herself and readied the next one in the line. "So.. there's this ranger I know," She said slowly, hesitant as she tried to choose her words carefully, deliberately leaving it vague so that Arnyn could easily assume it to be someone like Nal, or Mourgan, whom she would know Cali spent a lot of time with. "Whom I have observed is in a similar type of condition as I was, that day. I think this ranger needs a talk, like the one you and Mourgan gave me, but I'm not sure how to go about it." She frowned and make sure the armor was aligned properly, and that Arnyn was holding it to make sure it didn't slip while she was hammering, then gave it a few good blows from the hammer to set the rivet.

She watched the lieutenant in her peripheral vision as she did this. Before moving to the third rivet, she paused to give a little shrug and hopeful smile. "I was hoping maybe you could give me some idea of what you might tell.. say, Trastion, or someone like that, in a similar situation." She explained, then selected another rivet from the container and aligned it in the holes she'd pre-punched.

@Rillewen
Her head was pounding, and by the time Cali moved on to the third rivet, Arnyn wasn't sure anymore when it was her head or the hammer. Yet Arnyn had dealt with worse exhaustion than this. Not while strolling around the city, perhaps, but definitely when comparing it to the heat of battle. There had been instances where she had led divisions through a night battle after only catching a few hours of sleep the night before. Battles needed planning and coordination. Her muscles had been much more spent then than they were now, and she had had less sleep then than she'd had now. And where she had kept it together, then, she kept it together, now. Finding this, while it required a lot of effort, still much easier.

"There is no one way that fits all, I'm afraid," Arnyn told Cali with a faint smile, as she continued to hold the piece of equipment. "It really depends on the person. Ranger or not, for that matter. And even if you get everything right, there is still no telling if they will listen to you. You can only try, and hope they will hear you. Then it is up to them whether they will listen. Or if they can listen," she added, now easily remembering campaign situations (for example) where everyone was dead tired, but it was a choice between either keeping at it, or forfeiting your life. It was an extreme example, of course. But that is where her mind was going, as it was. "It all depends on the situation, as well."

@Arnyn



Cali nodded slightly at Arnyn's words, and paused, holding off from hammering the rivet into place, yet. "Hmm. Yes. I see what you mean," She replied thoughtfully. She took a moment to think about that as she put a rivet in. After making sure all was aligned correctly, she placed her rivet tool, then quickly hammered it down to set the rivet.

Before reaching for another rivet, Cali looked at Arnyn. "And how are you at listening to something like that?" She asked quietly. She set her hammer down and took the piece of armor, laying it aside now. "It was clear to me as soon as you walked in earlier, that you're not feeling well. Trastion could tell, too. And if it was that obvious to us, it won't take long for everyone else you talk to, to also realize it." She pointed out, trying to make her see reason. Figuring that she would surely not like for everyone to become aware that she wasn't feeling well, Cali hoped to make her consider that possibility.

"I'm sure you can still do everything your job calls for you to do, but can you do it to the best of your ability, right now, with you being sick?" Cali hesitated. "Wouldn't it be better to go home, get some rest, and get over it more quickly?" She gave an apologetic shrug. "I'm not trying to pester you, I just.. you've been a friend to me, and I want to be a friend to you, in return. And I'm sure you could get someone like Ranger Vorondil to take over at the office, if you should happen to need to take the afternoon off..."