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Well, now. Wasn't that interesting. All it took was just the right kind of goading to make Soibhan feel she had to prove she could keep her temper in check, though both of them insisted that she had nothing to prove. However it was done, she was glad that tempers seemed to be winding down. Of course, she also suspected that Soi was possibly more likely to lash out now. Just once. Just because she could.

The Tiller brothers. Rajani winced. Those two had given her more trouble wrangling Soi than any ten other people combined. Apparently, broken hearts and Spirit-induced madness could do that to a woman. Just as well that Raj had no intention of falling for anyone. She wouldn't want to deal with that level of emotional drama.

But that was neither here nor there.

The gypsy glanced between Ed and Soi. "If the pair of you are quite finished? Perhaps we can manage a civilized conversation."

Soibhan didn't mean to ignore Raj, but the man's question irritated her, because she realized she'd made a mistake. Frustrated, she clenched her fists again, but this time her anger was aimed at herself. "Poor phrasing. I doona mean ta rule anyone. I want ta lead them." She made a wide, sweeping gesture. "This land has shown me things me own land never would have. My people are savage by most o' the standards o' Sunderland, and some o' that might be true enough. But we are also simple in what we find value in. We do the same thing we've done for centuries; we live, we love, and we fight. We live our lives the way we want them ta be lived, we love our families and companions as fiercely as the trees love the sun, and we fight when any o' those things are threatened. I've grown ta love Sunderland, and it is being threatened."

She grew quiet, but there was no lack of fierceness in her eyes. No matter what she said, she had a feeling this man would not find it good enough. He was determined to see the worst in her, but her words made her feel better regardless. Let him think what he wanted. There were plenty of people that trusted her to lead them, and to lead them well. One dissenting voice was nothing to worry over.

Desmond, forgotten until now, pushed his mug of ale towards her, the glass making a soft noise against the wood of the table. Grabbing it, she offered him the barest hint of a smile, which seemed to surprise him. With a thoughtful expression, he leaned forward and extended his hand towards Edgar and she hid her grimace behind the mug as she took a measured drink.

"Desmond Gray. I think we can call this little feud finished and have a, uh, friendly drink?" His ethereal guardian sauntered over as silently as a ghost, and Soibhan approved in the doe's name for herself; Gray Lady indeed. She headbutted her chosen with narrowed eyes before looking towards Edgar and Dardanos. "And, uh, this is Liadain, my Gray Lady."

She admits it, she's a savage. She can't help it, he told himself, knowing it wasn't necessarily true. It helped to have something to blame her behavior on though; it helped ease the fighting words that came to him of their own accord. There was a combative response to everything she said; she made it too easy, and perhaps part of him wanted it to be that way because he wanted her to know that he knew how easily she could be attacked. She showed too much of herself, cared too much and made it too obvious. He couldn't have that in a leader. No matter how skilled she was in battle, no matter how well she could rally her troops, the fact that he had seen that weaker side of her gave him doubt. Too much doubt.

Quite naturally, he found himself reaching for his Guardian, whose unusual natural warmth calmed him in many situations. His hand settled on the buck's flank as Rajani spoke up, returning to their original topic. "You may have a point," he admitted. "But there are many things your involving me into this has given me, most of which I remain thankful for." In truth, Edgar had felt much less alone in the last days than he had for many years. It wasn't often that he found others of a like mind.

Knowing that the combative look still in Soibhan's eyes would only rile him again, Edgar kept his gaze decidedly averted from hers and turned to Desmond. There was some hesitation as he tried to pinpoint the man's loyalties in the situation, but he came to the conclusion that it was a waste of time and instead clasped Desmond's hand in a firm shake. "Edgar. Ashworth, as I suppose you've heard," he said. It might have benefited them all if his identity had been left well alone and the other three had remained blissfully ignorant, but it was too late for that now. "My lady," he added, inclining his head toward the beautiful doe.

"And I myself have the honor of introducing Dardanos." Without whom Edgar was sure he would be nothing. But that was information none of them needed to know. The buck nibbled reassuringly at his Chosen's collar, watching the newly introduced pair with interest.

Rajani met Soi's disgruntled grimace with a level, uncompromising gaze. They could talk, sure enough, but she doubted that either of them would budge from their respective positions. Just as well. Unity was well and good, but checks and balances were equally important. For now, she left the hot-tempered woman have her space.

Desmond's offer, however, scarcely earned him a glance. The gypsy still had little interest in him as an individual. Besides, she was no longer in the mood for drink. Even if she had not decided to retain as many of her wits as possible, it had lost its appeal this evening.

"You are enjoying the regiment, then?" she inquired of Edgar instead. She would not ask outright if he was happy, nor express profuse pleasure if he were. Such displays of emotion did not suit her. However, this did not mean that she lacked all compassion or that she did not care about the well-being of her little band of misfits - individually or as a whole.

In fact, if she were not careful, Rajani might end up playing mother hen to the whole lot, or so Oberon had warned her. His supposition had been met with vehement denial, of course, but they both knew he was right, even if she refused to admit it aloud. But that was neither here nor there.

Desmond hesitated, but then he seemed to shrink a little in his chair. "Alright then."

He'd never been one to be comfortable in a situation where no one seemed to like him. It was different with Soibhan, though he didn't know why. Probably because, beneath the surface, Soi isn't the damn snarling dog she pretends she is.

He sat back in his chair with drink in hand, sipping it just to enjoy it. He watched Rajani and Edgar out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to survey the establishment's other patrons. He'd said something at some point that had made Rajani almost loathe him, but he couldn't for the life of him remember what it had been. Edgar was being nice enough, but he had a feeling it was only because the man was a little more proper than the average man.

In an effort to not feel like a third wheel, Desmond gestured Liadain back over. She flicked an ear at him in annoyance, but delicately rose to her feet and made her way over on silent hooves before settling down beside his chair.

Every day she grew larger, surprising him. She'd been such a tiny little thing, and now she was the size of a small horse, though much daintier, and still growing. Resting her head in his lap, she sent him soothing thoughts until he started rubbing the soft spot behind her ears.

"My Gray Lady has shown much love for the regimental activities as well. She's a, um...a fierce thing. Quite fierce."

He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a glint of fierce pride in her eyes at that.

Edgar studied his Guardian with care while he found the right words to explain. The buck had settled himself behind Edgar's chair to listen in on the conversation at hand. Now that Soibhan had made her exit, Dardanos seemed to expect that the rest of them would get along without much trouble. He was right, Edgar reflected. Though Rajani was evidently less than fond of Desmond, both the gypsy and the smith seemed less inclined to escalate the situation than he and Soibhan had been (namely, Soibhan; Edgar was keen to insist that he would have been perfectly happy to keep if voice down if the crazy one had as well).

"He fares well," Edgar said finally with a smile. "He is whatever he needs to be, and has decided he must win in such situations. I think he understand better than I that there will be no mercy and no hesitation in the event of a real battle." But then, Dardanos had always understood things better than he had. Edgar wasn't ashamed to admit that his Guardian knew better than he, for the buck had proven many times that that was exactly the case. "It isn't in him to admit it, but I think he also enjoys victory."

The smile on his face turned to Desmond at the mention of Liadain, glad that they had broached a topic on which the three of them could more or less agree. No matter the differences, Edgar had found, there was always something to be said about the Guardians. Even the crazy one seemed to respect Dardanos, which Edgar had grudgingly taken to mean that she couldn't be entirely mental.

"Perhaps we will cross paths one day in our training," Edgar said, eager to see how Desmond's lady fared in a fight. That same eagerness extended to any Guardian, if he was being honest, but he seemed to take a more personal interest in the ones he knew.

The gypsy smiled at Edgar, then glanced at her own Guardian. Oberon was a proud creature and he made no secret of that. Though not necessarily a sore winner, he was often insufferably smug when he did come out ahead in a fight - and because of his experience in relation to others, that was most of the time. Best as she could tell, he was one of the oldest Guardians about and Rajani had gotten him started with Macaire pretty early on. She doubted that seasoned was the right word - that would only come after true battle - but he has certainly gained more experience than most.

"Humility," she mused. "What a refreshing change." Knowing a jab at his ego when he heard one, the stag merely snorted at his Chosen and turned to the other Guardians, not precisely friendly, but vaguely curious nonetheless.

"I am glad to hear that he takes to his training well," she added in a more serious tone. "I fear he will need it. Perhaps sooner than we might hope. All of us will."

Rajani considered her own training. Though she had been keeping in practice, that practice had been mostly kept to two people. They were both skilled opponents, to be sure, but some variety might be nice for a change. She did not anticipate fighting on the front lines, but scouting was just as dangerous in its own way. If she could not outstrip the enemy, she would have to face him alone - perhaps even more than one. She needed sharp skills if she planned to outlive the first week of war. With that in mind, she took another sip of her drink and looked over the rim at Edgar.

"Let our Guardians have their training, but we should not neglect ours. Perhaps we might have a match ourselves," she suggested.