- Sandra -

Sandra rolled her eyes "Yeah, my mom's doing... she somehow got me convinced this was some formal party or something." She rested her chin in her hand, which leaned on the table. Her mother had better life up to her end of the bargain and not mingle with the people on this side, the last thing she needed was more embarrassment. "But thanks." she added somewhat quieter, to Lydia's comment about her being pretty. She wasn't one to admit it, but she did kinda feel pretty now. Like a prince- Okay, lets nip that thought right in the bud, before it turns into something else.

She looked around the room "Seems like everybody made it." She concluded, until her eyes fell on a little kid standing rather awkwardly in the middle of the room. It was clear that he had absolutely no idea where to go, like a wild animal trapped in a foreign environment. "Hey, isn't that the baker's kid? Whatshisname?" She asked, poking Lydia in her side and pointing towards the kid.

_________________

Lydia listened in to Sandra’s words but still couldn’t help but be amused, she just kept smiling for a little while longer. Her worries about needing to repack everything for the journey ahead slipped away for the moment. “You’re welcome.”

Lydia sighed softly, pouted just a little with her lower lip. “Aren’t you going to comment and give me a suggestion of what to wear for the journey ahead? I could use a little bit more help in that regard, something comfortable and practical, no? Surely Sandra, you would know.” Lydia sighed softly going back to her own thoughts of what she had in her wardrobe that would be better for the journey instead of dresses.

Once again, she was pulled out of her thoughts as she was poked in the side. Sandra was always one to get her attention, almost always anyway. The girl looked up towards the boy she was being directed to, instantly she had been reminded of her own habits she was the very same way though it was good for her that she wasn’t as sheltered as the boy was. “Yes, it is. Though he almost never leaves the bakery, I’ve only ever seen him when my parents and I went in to buy a few things.” Lydia kept staring at the boy for a while longer before coming to a decision, “Maybe we should let him sit down at our table. He seems so lost.”

Before Sandra could acknowledged her request Lydia waved over to Junior, it had seemed that he was literally trapped so Lydia got up from her seat and carefully approached the boy. “Hello, why don’t you come over to my table? We have plenty of room there.”

Junior blinked as he noticed the kind-looking blue haired girl sitting at a table several feet away wave over to him. He looked around him, wondering perhaps if she had been waving to someone else behind or beside him, then looked back towards the girl, a look on his face that simply asked 'Do you mean me?' His eyes widened as the girl stood up and approached him to offer him a seat at her table, answering the question in his mind. "R-Really?" He glanced behind her at the table she had been sitting at. Yes, there was certainly plenty of room to sit, and at that moment, it had only been Lydia and that other girl who she was moments ago conversing with that were sitting there. He bit his lip, then bowed his head appreciatively. "O-Okay, thank you..." he replied before meekly following Lydia back to her table, setting his stuffed cat and plate of food on the table and taking a seat quietly.

_________________

Lydia looked downward towards the boy and nodded “Of course” gently she guided him back towards their table, letting him get comfortable before leaning towards Sandra and whispering towards her. “Be nice.”

She did find it somewhat odd that a twelve year old boy would carry around a stuffed cat, but she didn’t seem to mind. Lydia smiled and sat down once again, “You made the cake this year didn’t you? It surely looks wonderful, but I hadn’t yet had a chance to get anything.. I’m a little worried about tomorrow. ”

Junior looked up to Lydia once she asked him about the cake. He nodded, meek as ever. "Um, y-yes, I made the cake," he replied, looking over to the table where the gigantic cake still stood, looking larger to him now than when he first made it. "Thank you. It was a lot of work, putting it all together and all. I really hope people like it..." he said as he took his fork and awkwardly moved his vegetables around on his plate. He glanced back over to Lydia as she voiced some concern about tomorrow. Junior nodded his head in agreement. "S-So am I. It's really...scary, to think about leaving home, going on this big journey to this big city you've only heard about from your parents or from people who come by, here and there..." he said, opening up a little without really thinking. His eyes widened as he realized this and he quickly fell silent, feeling a little bit embarrassed as he picked at his piece of chicken.

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Millicent herself had planned on helping the boy when she had seen him in distress, and when he joined Sandra's table she simply followed him over. "Hey there kiddo," a slight smile tugging at her lips, "Looks like you found a table. Haven't seen you around." She put her dish down and took a seat, nodding a greeting towards Sandra before continuing, "That's a cute toy you have there, does he have a name? I'm Millie." She stuck out her hand as Lydia continued speaking Millie inwardly winced. After she had finished greeting the boy she planned to tell the girl some things she would need to take.

((eeeh whoops ninja'd me there...))

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Zee Captain: "Better dig your heels in"
Mr. Snippy: "Why? What?"
Zee Captain: "..."

Baldemar black: the sleeping sheep inn

Now this is the life! Baldemar said as he downed another ale. Normaly he would have been quiet but drinks made him talk a lot more. And who made this cake It's divine! I must know who made it! as he said that he stuffed another piece in his mouth and washed it down with his drink. he then walked over to the meats arayed on the table accidentiley bumping into Zephrin with his mechanical arm. He disliked him and the drinks werent helping. Well if it is'nt mister Seams. Made any dresses lately? Or maybe some Pretty Boots? Do tell me. he said as he started loading his plate with beef and Potatoes.I'm dying to know.

_________________
Dragonborn Dragonborn, by his honour is sworn, to keep evil forever at bay
and the fiercest foes rout, when they hear triumph's shout.

Dragonborn for your blessing we pray, and the scrolls have fortold, of black wings in the cold
that when brothers wage war come unfurled, Alduin bane of kings, ancient shadow unbound
with a hunger to swallow the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9eGtyqz4gY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50u0zUeCmU

(Sleepy Sheep Inn)

Alexander was a bit saddened that his father couldn't come with him ,but he had to go anyway.

Alexander walked into the Inn, a bit fedgity moving this way ,and that.
He Immediately went at the food so hungry from working all day he could scare a pack of wolves with his stomach's growl. He had tried to feign interest in his cake when he saw the few people he knew from walking around the town at times when there was no work to be done and he was looking for strange new items.
Sandra, was in an outfit you'd assume royalty would wear, he wanted to go say something to her ,but he saw that she was with another girl and a boy sitting next to her so he decided to let her enjoy her fun.

Alexander had simply gorged himself on all of that food, he hadn't been able to eat like that since his father first received his hammer. He really wanted to talk now , maybe it was the ale he drank, or all the anxiousness going to his head ,but he just felt like yapping with someone. He got up from the table and walked with a bit of a sway, he couldn't hold his ale well, but he just sort of paced back and forth in the pavilion. Where...Smelt...Girl's and...Hammers he muttered as he walked back and forth.

_________________
I got friends on the other side ~

~Zephrin Seams: Generosity and "Kindness"~

Impressed by the apprentice cook's politeness and professionalism Zephrin obliged him with a low and honorable bow. Zephrin may have been pompous, but he wasn't the sort to not return politeness with rudeness. That was the sort of thing a pig would do. And he was no pig. "Thank you for your generosity and patience. The side plates would be fabulous." He left the apprentice cook to do his job, returning to the serving table to get himself some appetizers and a drink. Perhaps he misjudged this town a bit. To have gone beyond what was expected, with such an impressive display of food. It was as if they were feeding nobility.

'Well... They kind of are.' he reminded himself with a vain smile.

Zephrin was happy to see that he wasn't the only one who had dressed for the occasion, like pathetic Crimcha with his emerald garb, even though it was a bit big on him. Zephrin's nose twitched in indecision. He needed to fix that tank of a poncho one day, but today was not the day for that. Perhaps after they reached Crenshaw. Still, it didn't look that bad on him. The green went well with his skin.

Even the most dirtiest of peasants were dressed up. Zephrin's eyes sparkled with opportunity when he laid them on the normally disgusting Sandra Pikington. He had never seen the girl wear as much as a skirt before, let alone comb her hair. He was just about to head her way so he could compliment her on her change in style and perhaps get to meet her well dressed and possibly rich friend. Except at that moment what was perhaps the most brutish and disgusting person in the entire town had bumped into him; Baldemar Black.

Zephrin hated the guy with a seething passion. He was a dirty slob, and probably couldn't carry on an intelligent conversation if his life depended on it. Tonight was his moment, he didn't have time for the stupid inquiries of a pig.

"For your information, I am currently in the process of producing a cloak for my travels" he replied a matter-of-factually. "But if you are looking for any new garments that would cover up those cuts of yours I will gladly supply you with the some of most elaborate dresses I can find for your...size. I'm sure you would look lovely in them. The only issue I can see is payment, but I'm certain a person of your title could garner enough money needed for such expensive clothing, am I correct?" Zephrin started wiping off his sleeve with a spare handkerchief as to clean it of whatever dirt that had rubbed off the miner onto him, waiting patiently for the miner's response.

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Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

-Errant Milask-

*Two hours ago*
The evening sun was slowly but surely beginning to set as Tristan Milask made his way to the Amber Falls library, the man had returned home from work to find that his nephew wasn't home or already in the tavern meaning that there was only a couple places he'd be at this hour. While the lad had packed his things well before hand, even going so far as to pack extra parchment for some unknown reason it irked Tristan that the boy refused to go out of his way to become well acquainted with at least someone within the small town. Instead he spent his time searching, almost desperately for something, at first Tristan believed the boy to have fallen down the same path as his father -curse his soul- but the boy lacked the drive to use that knowledge. The first few weeks were hard, the boy rarely talked, barely ate and didn't seem to sleep, he was focused on seeking something when Tristan finally asked him the boy merely explained with a weary tone that he was trying to discover the reason to his corruption.
If it was the knowledge that altered him or if it was the man's own wretched soul. Errant couldn't find the answers in the books before him.

With a knock on the door, Tristan entered the room where Errant normally studied. Dozens of bookshelves lined the walls but the tables were surprisingly empty. When the lad studied they were normally covered in various books used for reference and yet now they were spotless, no not all, he corrected himself as he noticed a single used table. The chair sat empty but the sound of intense writing was what drew the man's attention, the signature spell that Errant used to record his work, often used to annotate or to correct old pages, he painstakingly had recreated some of the damaged works with that magic.
Magic.... That was what the lad had eventually become fearful of, he seemed to easily grasp the concept of what was written but choose not to discover if he himself had the capability to use that spell. He seemed perfectly content with merely studying the concept... Tristan shook his head and took a deep breath to call his nephew.

"No shouting in the library." Came a voice from behind one of the bookshelves, "You're becoming a senile old man if you can't use those eyes of yours to actually look around for me." As usual the lad's tone seemed neutral but his words were almost mocking.
"The feast is going to begin in about two hours, I was surprised that you-" Tristan looked about as his thoughts were interrupted by what Errant was doing.
"Cleaning the place up before I leave. Doubt that it'll help since I'm the only one Ol' Welkins trusts the apprenticeship to. Besides there don't seem to be many volunteers screaming for a chance to work under him."
"I suppose but don't you have a reputation to keep? I mean I thought you always arrived well before the appointed time to prepare."
"Please uncle, two hours before the appointed time would be me being arrogant... or perhaps someone who couldn't tell time, I'll get there when the time is right. Besides I doubt I'd miss anything interesting."

Tristan walked to the table as his nephew spoke looking at what the lad had been working on, it seemed to be an annotated map, "Precautions uncle. I'd rather avoid letting the old saying 'The blind leading the blind' from becoming more than an ironic statement..."
"Just be sure to be there."

*At the feast*

"So they are serving ale...." Errant began looking towards the various foods and drinks being served, "I look forward to telling tales to those who drunk a little too much while we travel tomorrow... I'll make sure they're nice and loud."
"Play nice Errant. And couldn't you have looked-"
"More formal? More to the part? Perhaps a little more ode to blue? Becoming more exquisite so that I may charm the young women into liking this gangly, troublesome yet sardonically intellectual young man?" Errant gave a smirk as he finished his sentence, he had arrived -as promised- 30 minutes before the feast was set to begin, wearing a simple white tunic with dark brown pants.
"You should watch your mouth, someday someone will shut it for you." Tristan replied with some annoyance.
"But uncle, my nose is in the way. Besides I'm sure you'd agree, me looking cross-eyed would hardly garnish the respect of my peers." Errant continued before sighing, "Let me have my fun uncle, tomorrow my apprenticeship truly begins."

Junior blinked and turned to look at the rather tall blonde who greeted him. "H-Hi," he greeted back in response, honestly surprised to have been approached by another girl. He had no experience in socializing with others, so this was a slightly overwhelming experience, to be suddenly surrounded by people he hardly ever spoken to before. He looked over to his stuffed cat, sitting in front of him on the table with it's ever-present smile on its face. "Um, yes. Her name is Rhyme," he replied before sheepishly taking Millie's hand and shaking it. "Nice to meet you, Miss Millie. Um...my...m-my name is Kurokage Shuriken Junior, b-but just 'Junior' is fine..." he returned the greeting.

_________________

Sabeam Nightshade – Sleepy Sheep Inn - A corner table

Sabeam's violet eyes darted up at the brunette to which she adjusted herself in her wooden seat again while blurting out, "Why do you keep saying that crap?" She paused while crossing her arms over her chest, "What you fancy me or something?" She sat there waiting for an answer while holding that pose for a short moment until she grew a little thirsty to which she then dropped her arms and took another swig from her ale. Slamming the cup down on the table she then spoke, "I thought you knew my name anyway...though it is Sabeam." ' What is with this girl anyway...' she thought while studying her some more. Sabeam usually didn't talk to the others, unless it involved her work. In fact, as she recalls it now, she had to deal with Alexandra previously, yet she does not really remember the conversation. 'Must have ignored 'er.' She thought while picking up another green bean and started to nibble on it. Sabeam's lip curled into a small smile while she enjoyed the taste food before her, for Donovan was a terrible cook and could only make porridge or gruel. Only for special occasions would Donovan ask the baker and her son to bake a rabbit meat pie. The fletcher's mind returned to the conversation and she focused her attention on the last piece of chicken.

_________________
You've tried so hard until now, you needn't blame yourself.
You've treasured your Rose Signet until now.
I shall give you a kiss as your reward.
This is your consolation.

Emeline Harcourt - Sleepy Sheep

Emeline listened intently to Elder Her's speech. Short and sweet. She appreciated that he didn't waste words. After he left, she immediately focused on the amazing feast. It was so overwhelming, she didn't even know where to start. Emeline waited as a few others went ahead and got their food. She also watched a few of them dart off to different corners of the room to isolate themselves. 'Guess they're shy.'

Her eyes casually drifted past one table with a young boy and some girls in nice dresses. Immediately her eyes shot back to the table, one of the girls was Sandra! 'She's wearing a dress?! I bet it was her mom's doing.' Emeline fought hard to suppress her laughter only because she knew her friend was like her and absolutely despised being in dresses. Emeline walked slowly by the table to get her friend's attention, waving to her with a highly amused look on her face. She decided to not sit by her though as she'd get punched if she laughed. And not being supposed to laugh would make her laugh. 'Poor girl.'

After grabbing some food she looked around for a place to sit. She noticed a skinny boy with blinding white hair pacing around. 'Don't know you.' It looked like he was talking to himself or something. Emeline approached Alexander with a smile, "You all right?" She sat down at a nearby table and pulled out a chair next to hers, motioning for him to sit down.

"Rhyme... I like it. Alright I'll cut you a deal." Millie said as she shook his tiny hand, "I'll call you Junior if you don't call me Miss. I'm far too young for that." She released his hand and patted the boy's stuffed cat on the head waiting for a reply.

_________________
Zee Captain: "Better dig your heels in"
Mr. Snippy: "Why? What?"
Zee Captain: "..."

Junior blinked a little at the proposition. "Oh, o-okay, Mis--I-I mean, Millie," he stuttered to correct himself mid-sentence, his face turning a little bit red. He looked down at his lap for a moment, twiddling his fingers a bit in awkwardness. He looked back over to his plate and began to eat some more of his chicken, figuring he should get to eating his food soon before it got too cold.

((OOC: Waaah, short post is short. D': ))

_________________

Millie nodded as Junior turned back to his food and then directed her attention towards Lydia. "I heard you asking about what things to take while we're traveling. Well for one you're probably going to be wanting pants, and whatever you take you'll want to be sturdy. Some comfortable shoes are going to be a must too. From the looks of things you like to stay clean so I suggest some soap and a comb, though any baths we take are going to be cold until we get to town since it will be in rivers." She paused for a moment considering other things and taking a bite of food, "You're going to want something warm too, maybe a cloak like I have so that you can use it to sleep on too. Something to carry water in would be good too, and some jerky in case we have trouble catching food, though with Aldrnari it shouldn't be much of a problem. That's about all I can think of at the moment, but it should be enough to get you started." Millie nodded in satisfaction and then began to eat more of her food happy to not be eating jerky.

_________________
Zee Captain: "Better dig your heels in"
Mr. Snippy: "Why? What?"
Zee Captain: "..."

-Ranger Lodge-

Elder Her moved with purpose as he made his way towards the Ranger lodge. He remained deathly silent betraying none of the anger and distress swirling around within him. The man didn’t bother checking to see if he was followed. When Her reached the lodge he threw open the door. “Hroth! By Nin, Hroth you old bastard where are you!” The door slammed shut, muffling the sound of his shouts.

Outside the lodge all was quiet for. What ever Elder Her was doing he hadn’t yet moved to Hroth’s office. It was maybe five minutes before Aldrnari would hear the unmistakable sound of a door opening. Immediately the room filled with cacophonous conversation. The young ranger would easily recognize the voices of Elder Her, as well as captain of the guard Fenwick Gurd. A third voice, harder to pin down but not all together unrecognizable, was that of Fren Hemper, town doctor. Absent from the voices however was that of her adoptive father, Hroth. Aparently he hadn’t seen fit to speak yet. Even from her perch near the window that was all that could be made out voices. The conversation itself was muffled beyond comprehension. Bits and pieces stood out but nothing comprehensible.

The conversation turned for maybe two minutes before a man clad in the overlarge cloak typical of a Ranger appeared in the window and threw it open to let in the cool night air. If Aldrnari was looking he would be hard to make out at first but a close enough look would show that the Ranger in the window was not her father. Instead it was Elson Redgrove, a ranger she would know about as well as the others in Hroth’s group. He was a young man ten years the senior of the young apprentice. He had with a long face and scruffy black hair. He bore a serious look on his face, serious almost to the point of boredom. The Ranger surveyed the lodge’s nighttime surroundings almost out of habit. He looked from left to right, his eyes taking in everything. Redgrove’s gaze passed right over the young apprentice’s position, lingered for a moment then moved on.

“Redgrove! Get your ass back over here.” Blustered Elder Her. If Redgrove had seen her at all the man gave no indication. He wore the same bored expression as ever. At the very least he left the window open as he turned back inside. “Now then Elson, explain to me again why it is you are here and not Hroth.” The Elder did not sound happy.

~Sleepy Sheep Inn~

This was a horrible day, so horrible that Jake wished this terrible day was over. Aches, pains and bruises covered his tiny frail body. It was bad enough that the day before was spent catering to another rowdy bunch of drunk adults who want to drown their worries in booze and those two familiar obnoxious adults that seem to need alcohol like it was part of their bloodstream. Jake’s father and sister always made such a mess as beer was spilt all over the floor. The poor boy felt that he was the only one who gave a damn about this inn. The smell alone that lasted in the inn’s pub was enough to cause him nausea and discomfort. Yet who woke up at the crack of dawn while two of the so called role models in his life were hung-over? The answer is Jake of course.

In the morning the boy was busy cleaning, scrubbing, and dusting the pub for the big party that was going to be held that night. It took him a good four hours before the pub passed his personal inspection of cleanliness. After greeting his mother for the morning he helped out with sweeping the main lobby of the inn and cleaning the rooms of the guests that left. This was followed by correcting some clerical errors his careless mother made. “There aren’t 2000 guests coming tonight and we didn’t need all of those supplies for the inn…” he scolded his mother softly like this happened countless times before. His mother laughed every time Jake catches her mistakes. The only mistake she never made with orders was the amount of beer. Even though it’s usually a grossly outrageous number we always seem to run out every month. Soon enough the hangover twins awakened from their slumber and slithered down the stairs from the second floor of their quaint country inn. After yelling and explaining for a half hour to his older sister about why she can’t hang out in the pub at all today (mostly because he didn’t want to clean again). But while he was busy with his sister his father slipped past his radar and started making a mess of things. Screaming in anguish he could do nothing as the pub was brought down two notches from perfectly clean to in danger of becoming a pig sty.

After cleaning the pub about two to three more times before the party, Jake was exhausted. Before the party shouting could be heard from the second floor as Jake begged his father and sister to stay in their rooms handing them some beer to keep them quiet. His sister kept saying, “But Jake I need to drink at the pub! It maaakes me feeelll gooood…” she said in a drunken slur from already sneaking in some drinks before. Jake couldn’t stand the smell of his sister’s breath as it reeked of alcohol. Why were all the adults in his life so irresponsible? This question kept replaying over and over in his mind every time he confronted his family. “Just stay in there you aren’t going to run the party!” he shouted back at her, followed by slamming the door and barricading it. Proceeding to stomp down the stairs in angry frustration he tried to recompose himself. Smiling to everyone as he walked into the pub area he sat down at the nearest table and heard the speech from the elder.

After the elder left the other kids his age started to make a lot of noise. One would think Jake would be used to it by now but it all started to sound like noisy clutter of nonsensical words as his fatigue caught up with him. Without realizing it his face hit the table with a quiet thud. Sore all over and not having the strength to move anymore he just quietly slept while mumbling phrases such as, “No don’t do that I just cleaned that…” or “You are so noisy be quiet sis I’m sleepy…”

_________________

William Bruce

Almost there... William took each agonizing step after another toward the food. He was genuinely amazed at his fortune at getting to the table without any troubles, maybe luck was with him tonight! He surveyed the goods at the table, there was far more than he was used to seeing, so much that it almost made him dizzy at the thought of it all. He was struck by a brief moment of indecision, unable to decide just what he should take and how much. William wasn't used to eating much, being from a family that kept a tight reign on luxuries, or what little they could afford. His family's monetary standings was pretty well reflected in his clothing, he only wore a white simple shirt with dark trousers. He really didn't have any formal wear, and nothing nearly as extravagant as some of the other people around.

William was about to make a decision on what to take when he heard a whisper beside him. "Aah!" He jumped back, taken by surprise. He looked about for the source of the offending whisper and laid eyes on Crimcha standing nearby. "Oh...h-hi Crimcha." William mumbled and nervously looked back and forth. "I, I w-wasn't hiding, I was... He was stammering so much that it was difficult for him to say anything. Eventually, William gave up and managed to say, "Thanks, I appreciate it. William reached out and pulled a drumstick free and deposited it on his plate. William was sure that would be more than enough for him at the moment. With a quick glance through his curls at the bar, he mentioned aloud to Crimcha "I was going to go get a drink." He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do now, William's earlier plan to retreat back to his corner didn't look so feasible now.

Lydia Chandler, at the table with Sandra, Junior and Millicent

Lydia smiled slightly and nodded, she could very much sympathize not really wanting to leave but at the same time she knew she had to, and everyone had to. “We can make it, I’m sure. Just need a little bit of courage Junior.”

It perked her interest when more people had become interested in sitting down at their table, even uninvited, causally she just listened to what Junior and Millie had to say, her own thoughts on how to help the boy become more confident in himself. What about positive thinking? Is that even a powerful weapon? It might not work with Junior though and that stuffed cat, she was sure was some sort of security blanket for him.

Lydia smiled gently as Millie turned her attention then on to her and gave her suggestions on what to bring, yes. She was sure she had some of those things lying around in her very big house. “Thank you for all the advice,” OH GOD what was she thinking? the girl rubbed her neck nervously thinking about what she DID pack, she’s definitely going to have to repack everything. TONIGHT! There is still time right? Dinner then go home and repack.

“Uh.. Millie, would it be alright if before we go off to bed tonight that you come home with me and help me repack? I would really appreciate it.”

☽Aldrnari - Ranger Corps Lodge☾

Aldrnari frowned as she realized the adults weren't as close to the window as she would have liked, but it was surprising to hear so many of the town's leaders in Hroth's office. She huddled a little closer to the wall, hoping to hear something through the occasional crack in the log walls, but they didn't offer much of an advantage at all. It was pretty strange to hear Elder Her call Hroth old. He'd only been around twenty-something when he found Aldrnari in the forest, so he wasn't really that old at all. Not that this was any time for such thoughts, Aldrnari realized. The back of her hair stood on end as her well-trained ears caught the first noise of the window latch being unlocked.Hroth hadn't noticed yet, but she had used a few grains of salt to rough up the usually well-oiled latch while she was cleaning, since she had been trying to find out what was going on several times already. She had been planning to listen in at the window earlier in the week, but Hroth had always gone to Her until tonight.

Aldrnari froze as the window opened and an unfamiliar man appeared at the window, his cloak made it obvious that he was another ranger, but he wasn't someone she recognized immediately. The little town was fairly safe, a place where newly-appointed rangers were sent to better practice following orders and working in squads. Usually they didn't stay long except by choice, like Hroth had. Having a daughter, he realized, meant having to settle down in one place, and now he was the leader of the town lodge. Life had worked out pretty well for him. But then Aldrnari realized that he was recognizable. He was the newest ranger added to the team a few years before, and generally kept well clear of her. She wasn't sure how he had managed to become a ranger, Elson, if she was remembering his name right, was very serious, and had almost none of the natural curiosity that Hroth said that the rangers corps valued so much, and his work was methodical at best, when ingenuity was preferred. She watched as he scanned left and right, his eyes sweeping over her for only the merest of seconds before he was called back inside.

She was in the clear, for the moment. Elson hadn't seen her, or remembered his time as an apprentice and wasn't going to out her in front of all the villagers. If he hadn't seen her, then she could be proud of herself, and secure in her abilities before she left. If he had seen her, well, he could make her life miserable later on, which was not a good thing. The entire Ranger Corps was like one big family, but every family had people determined to look better than everyone else, and she had no idea if Elson was one of those people. It was surprising to hear such a tone from the elder though. And Hroth wasn't home? He left the lodge in Elson's care? Aldrnari's nose wrinkled as her frown deepened. Something was definitely up. Hroth said he was going to stay at the lodge tonight. He had spent the entire week in their home, sparing every minute outside of Aldrnari's busy practice schedule with the girl. She knew why too. After 15 years with her, he was going to be lonely without her. To be fair though, she was going to miss him terribly as well. They had planned to spend this last evening together too, but now Hroth was gone? Thankfully Elson left the window open, so now she could hear what was going on.

_________________
Zath: Behold, Karo: The only woman in existence who can make Fenix shut the fuck up.
Redsnow: That, and, frankly, if Karo doesn't like you that much, your character is probably going to die soon after his acceptance anyway.
Keiran: Bad RPs don't get picked, unmemberable RPs get ignored.
Zelosse: I don't usually laugh at blatant attitude, but when I do. It usually involves Karo.

As Junior slowly ate his food, he glanced over to Lydia and Millie as the two began to talk, with Millie giving advice on what would be best to bring along with them on their journey. He listened intently, keeping a mental note in his head to double check the things he packed in his backpack to make sure he had what Millie had deemed necessary, though he was sure that he was mostly set. His mother and father had helped him to pack, after all, so he was fairly certain they knew what sort of things he would need.

He bit his lip a little at the thought of his father. Oh, how distressed his father had been at the idea of letting Junior go off on this journey to Crenshaw, with neither of his parents there to look after him. He was sure if his father had it his way, he certainly wouldn't have allowed for little twelve year old Junior to go on this journey, maybe holding him back way into his adulthood, or perhaps for the rest of his life! But of course, his father had no say in the matter; this was the village tradition, it was a rite of passage, and overprotective father or not, he knew he couldn't get in the way of such a tradition.

Junior sighed a little as he finished his plate, leaving it relatively clean as he ate every last bit. He glanced upwards to the giant cake once more, his eyes widening a little as he just noticed that several slices had already been cut from the cake. He looked around him, the nervousness from before coming back as he wondered how many people had tried the cake, and how many actually liked it. He was half-expecting to see green faces or unfinished cake slices lying in trash cans or sitting alone on isolated tables. But no, he couldn't find such a thing; not at the moment, anyway. He caught a glimpse of one person, though, who seemed to be gleefully downing a slice or two of the cake (and drinking quite a bit of ale along with it). Junior relaxed a little at the sight, relieved that it looked like at least one person liked his cake, from what he could see. It gave him a slight boost of confidence, something he really needed tonight.

He looked back over to Lydia and Millie as the two still talked, and at that moment, he stood up, picking Rhyme up from the table and setting her down on his chair as a place holder. "I'll be right back. Could you please look after Rhyme for me?" he asked quickly, turning around and dashing off before he could receive an answer.

He picked up three plates at the serving tables and went up to the cake, cutting three identical slices and placing one on each of the plates, then carefully balanced the three plates in his arms as he walked back over to the table the four of them were sitting at. "U-Um, here's some cake, if you'd like to try some..." he said as he handed Lydia, Millie, and Sandra a plate.

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Rem stirred as dying amber rays of the sun snuck through the small imperfections of the barn walls and warmed his cheeks. The air was filled with the scent of hay, soil, and the slight musk that Rem was so familiar with by now. He yawned as he tried to move away from the sunlight, and felt something warm and soft press against him and murmur.

He opened his eyes slowly to see the red-gold curls of the recently married and very recently widowed Elaine pressed against him, her back to his chest. He slowly distanged himself and began to stretch before he realized that the sun's rays were aimed direclty at him through the wall, not at an angle above it. As he tried to remember why that was important somehow, he watched Elaine slowly wake as well.

It was his gurgling stomach that jogged his sleepy memory, however, and he suddenly stood up, almost tripping and falling from the loft in his haste to get his breeches back on.

That Muerin-damned feast. He'd forgotten all about it. He was supposed to be there for appearance's sake, something his master was dead-set upon.

"Where are you going?" asked Elaine, slowly rising from their hastily made bed of hay and scattered clothing, clutching the edge of her blanket to her bosom. "I thought we were going to go sneak some food into the cellars!"

"That-" said Rem, hastily donning his wine-colored tunic and buckling his belt. "sounds- wonderful. But-that apprentice's feast- you know - festivities. Me -"

He moved to grab his pouch dangling above Elaine's head (How the hell did it get up there?) but was stopped when she grabbed his wrist, and threw a look at him he knew all too well. Inwardly sighing, he began to soothe her lust and invigorated her fondness instead. The smoldering in her eyes subsided, and but she pulled him over and gave him a peck on the cheek nonetheless.

"Don't go off without saying goodbye," she said softly. "And you promised you'd write."

"Of course," he said, pausing to stroke her hair, but in a moment he was up again, scrambling down the ladder. He could already hear the sounds of merriment coming from the Sleepy Sheep down the road. Glancing about to make sure no one saw him coming out of the barn, he began to jog towards the inn.

When he finally got there, he took a moment to straighten his tunic and brush it off of any hay or straw that might have gotten attached (he missed the red-gold curl of hair on his shoulder, however) and opened the door, smiling broadly.

The truth was, he felt the entire pomp and ceremony of the whole send-off tedious and rather frivolous, but his master had insisted it was just another step in his ongoing training that he had sucked it up to participate.

It came as no surprise that he could see most of the town's apprentices there - who, would miss such a feast, after all? Excepting Rem, of course.

He strode over to the table with food and piled his plate with meats and gravy, looking around for Sandra to eat them in front of. He couldn't spot the dirty overalls and grimy brown underthings anywhere, so he shrugged and walked over to the bar and placed his plate at his usual spot - he had his suspicions that she was sulking at home, given that her mother had put on a particularly stubborn face earlier that week when he had commented on the hem of a dress he'd seen sticking out of a chest. Sneaking some food to her later would probably make her happy enough, he decided, and began to eat, hungry after his activities that day.

Alexander got surprised when she motioned for him to sit with her,he did a sort of awkward bow.
He took a seat a little bit fidgety and after exhailing rather heavily, said Yeah, I guess I'm fine, just...umm nervous, and a bit worried about my dad. Alexander had almost forgotten to breathe and with a sort of twitch he said, Well I've never really met anyone here,but I've seen most of these people around the town...Ive uh, never seen you around town before...What do you do? He pause and felt a bit of a twinge in his stomach as he waited for a reply from the girl, what if she thought he looked wierd, he hadn't been wearing the best clothes ,just a tad better than his usual garb,he waited patienly for a reply as he pondered these things in his head.

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I got friends on the other side ~

Alexander had nothing to worry when it came to his appearance. It wasn't in Emeline's personality to judge people, especially on something as trivial as looks. She herself was just wearing what she usually wore which was by no means 'nice'. She did find it odd that he had white hair though. Then again, to her, odd didn't necessarily mean bad.

"Yeah, it's funny. I've never seen you around before either. I'm Emeline, I'm a carpenter." She took a bite of chicken and shoved some potatoes in her mouth. She wiped her hands on her pants and finished chewing before continuing, "You got a name? What do you do?" With a smile she then stuck her hand out for a typical crushing handshake of manliness.