Addhor Raxëlilta and
Narradir Korsey
Heading out from ‘Wood Works’ for a delivery.
As
Eryn seemed so taken with the book that she wouldn’t let it out of her hands, even to carry it in her bag,
Addhor knew he would not regret this judgement call. There was nothing overly dangerous or extreme in the Captain’s journal, but there was enough inspiration there to help the aspiring young Ranger start to properly imagine how the principles of trapping would actually work. So it would make that much more sense, swifter too, whenever
Duinion would later show her how to put the theory into practice. The Veteran had proven useful, the aspirant was satisfied, and her oblivious father would not miss out on the experience of sharing his skills with his daughter. The customer left the shop more than contented, and that meant that the carpenter could as well.
“
You were eaves dropping,” he alleged, finding
Narradir outside. The recent commentary which
Eryn had assumed meant that the larger man was a psychic, had in fact been more due to the large labourer’s training in both stealth and scrutiny within the Rangers years ago. No small feat for a man of his intimidating stature.
“
Well, you left me all alone, and at a loss, and .. well, unsupervised,” the forester laughed, as though he were still six years old.
Addhor had already locked the window when he had closed it against
Narradir’s interruptions before. Now he watched quietly after
Eryn as she set off on her way, and then he locked the shop door behind them as well.
“
She’s like him,” the more massive man decided. “
Not to look at, obviously,” the opinion persevered. “
Thankfully. I mean, Dui .. has that beard .. Still. I just found myself taken back twenty odd years. You too ?”
“
Some,” the carpenter allowed upon reflection, always more careful than his openly honest friend. Inquisitive hands made their inspection of quite how well the delivery had been tethered to it’s transport. And were smacked away by the larger hands of the other man, with all the concern of a mother chiding her child for licking the spoon during an afternoon of baking together.
“
I’d have agreed to show her some snares at least, if she’d asked me,”
Narradir sniffed suddenly, a mock injured air, as he lounged against the wagon. “
Just saying ..”
“
Then I’m glad she did not put you in that position, where you have to choose between disappointing someone who is asking you for help, or disappointing someone else, who is rather more fitting to be the one that helps them,”
Addhor sighed. Though it was not a lecture, but an understanding of the rather delicate balance of relations involved. “
She said she had asked Duinion to show her,” he tried to explain his reasoning, to the human puppy of a man beside him; “
so she must go to him first, in the end, as it should be.”
“
This is casting back to when I showed your boy how to chop down a tree, isn’t it ?” the forester supposed, casting a long look over at his friend, suspiciously. For the impromptu move had been managed without pre-approval or permission from the youth’s parent.
“
Not so much,”
Addhor decided, although he took his time over admitting it. Then he shook his head and let show a small smile. “
For truly I am glad to have been stood far and safe away when that happened,” he teased.
“
Yes, well you’ve probably scared that girl right off any more asking now,”
Narradir shook his head slowly as he revisited his friend’s response to
Eryn. “
All that dire talk about debilitating enemies and death and ..” he released another drawn out whistle, as he had earlier in the day.
“
You do remember what we did, out there ?”
Addhor felt compelled to enquire. Sometimes it seemed as though ‘out there’ had all been just a game to the forester. It had been different then, of course, before the war was won. It had been more desperate. More dangerous. At least they could rest easier for both the likes of
Unalmis and
Erynneth, as the younger generation set out now on a very altered expectation, albeit in the exact same career. Of course, evil could never be wholly eradicated … “
If I’m honest, I rather think she was more interested than I’d hoped she would be, on that score. But at least her father won’t come home now to walk headlong into some terrible trap she’s been practicing in the fields. That is the important thing.”
“
Hah ! And to that I should say that our friend should be trained well enough by now to recognise the signs of danger,” put in
Narradir, highly amused, “
and furthermore see himself safely through a mere novice’s best attempts. Which reminds me, when is this party we are throwing for our mutual friend ?” a confused expression met his question, and the forester tried again, to confirm he had not misheard, when he ought not to have heard at all. “
Duinion’s birthday ?” he prompted, one eyebrow raised like a startled caterpillar.
Addhor gave
Narradir an entirely unheeding expression, and consciously climbed into the wagon which his friend regarded quietly. The former then glanced with purpose straight ahead, and did not meet the other man’s expectant expression. “
You said something about being in a hurry,” the carpenter remarked only, diverting the conversation, albeit to one who all too well recognised the art.
“
Should have left you to drag this fool thing through the streets all on your lonesome,”
Narradir threw back, with a mischievous glance about his eyes. “
Haven’t even said a thank you ..”
“
Thankyou Narry”
Addhor admitted sincerely, though he smiled into his seat, as his friend leapt up beside him.
“
Yes, right. Thank the stars and stones for Narry” the forester grinned. “
Whatever would you do without me, hmm ?”
It was something that
Addhor hoped he would never have to find out. The long war had lost them the other two friends in their close group of boys from school. And if
Denethor hadn’t needed the mighty strength of
Narradir to help rebuild the Rammas wall in preparation for the siege, then the steward may not have thought upon releasing the man from his gaol. The new king had decided after all was said and done, that the eager forester had served far long enough for the unfortunate misunderstanding which had cost him his military career. And the former ranger had swiftly shown that he might as well have been frozen in time for all his sentence. For
Narradir was not that changed in character since the days of before his incarceration.
There was nothing more to say, but to merely enjoy even the short distance that their journey took them. It was far easier with the wagon, than trying to manoeuvre the furniture through the streets on foot, being jostled and jockeyed about through a crowd, would have proven. And the carpenter was that concerned that his creation might be damaged before it could ever be presented to the intended recipient. He had made promises. But he had also fallen prey to a want that it should be, must be, worth her wait. And that could not be rushed.
Addhor was not someone who went about his life in any sort of rush.
Arrival at ‘Nells Bread and Pastries’
@Isolde Alarion
Narradir waved his friend off any notion of helping to unload the delivery, and so,
Addhor resolved not to be observed arguing over so silly a matter of pride. He was close to as tall as his titan acquaintance, though rather less pronounced in the physical presence that he might muster. Instead the carpenter found his nerve and also the familiar door, of his favourite shop in all the marketplace, including maybe even his own. He’d put a lot of thought into the timing, so that he ought not be in the way, or else interrupting the baker, when they arrived at what should be a lull in the usual proceedings of her business. There was a habit of reconnaissance after all, and there was a necessary reserve to pause, to breathe, halt all of his excitement behind a calm sense of order. You had to be calm, in the forest. You had to take the time. And he would have time now. Where he might wish to spend all of his time. In her company.
But there, the baker was full of surprises. She kept him on his toes in the delightful little way that saw his heart forego all order. She might have decided to take the day off and visit friends. She might have even forgotten that he’d said he would accomplish this little project for her. For it had been rather a time ago now when he had offered. And he might manage to therefore talk himself out of entering, for embarrassment, if it had been at all possible to turn and walk away, when he knew that she might be .. waiting.
So swallowing, he knocked once out of habit at
Nell’s shop door, and then entered. Raising his brown eyes up after a moment, to find if she were present, before
Narradir burst in upon them. If
Nell were not around, then surely their salient errand would all be over relatively quickly. But he dearly hoped that was not the case.