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 Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:02 pm
She was getting desperate. For the most part Aeronwyn and Kedehern had survived on luck and sheer determination, but both of those were beginning to dry up. They could no longer afford to cling to the edges of humanity, hiding in woods like frightened animals. Well okay, to be fair one of them was an animal, but his survival skills were just as dodgy as his chosen’s.
Aeronwyn splashed cold water onto her face from the stream, doing her best to wash off the mud and dirt from days of travel. Her dress was in tatters, certainly not fit to seen in, but she did her best with what she had. She did not come out respectable, but it was just passable. What she needed was a job. That wasn’t going to happen today, but at the very least she wanted to get a meal for them both.
The gangly legged fawn trotted over from where he had been inspecting a patch of moss, butting her arm with his head. Aeronwyn kissed his head and ruffled his ears, murmuring soft words of love and comfort. She didn’t like it, but he would have to wait her while she ventured into the village.
~o~
There were glances. The lost looking young woman that wove her way between the market stalls did not belong. Aeronwyn did her best to ignore them, stopping now and then to admire the wares despite having no money to spend. A plump woman was loading up her basket with vegetables and bread nearby, and Aeronwyn drifted closer. There would only be one chance.
The basket touched the ground as the owner stopped to talk to another shopper. They were laughing, clearly knowing each other well. It was stupid really. They were bound to catch her. There was no way she would be able to outrun them if they chased her. Then she would be detained and separated from Kedehern.
She nearly walked away, but her stomach chose that time to rumble desperately, a feeling that echoed back to the forest. Aeronwyn took a deep breath, feet carrying her forward. She brushed past her target, bending and snatching up the basket as she went. Then she ran… [Anyone is welcome to join and I dunno, tackle her to the ground for being a fail!thief. Kedehern is being rp’d as a fawn here. Setting is… any small village market a few days from The Wardwood]
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:20 pm
Errands. Killian could do errands. As a matter of fact, that was another of the things that he was quite good at. Particularly when he had a mission, like he did today. There was a wheel wright who'd commissioned a new hammer and chisel as his had rusted through. It was good business for the smithy as they always had need of wheels for their carts and barrows.
So Killian had been sent from the forge with the tools in hand to make the delivery. He hummed to himself, the notes timed to his footsteps, or vice versa, and headed across the market square to the stall in question.
And directly into the path of the fleeing girl.
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:05 pm
Aeronwyn quickly learnt that she was not very agile and her attempt to dodge past the young man that had stepped directly into her path didn’t end well. She slammed into him and stumbled sideways, completely stunned. The basket tipped, potatoes tumbling out and rolling across the cobblestones. No, no, no.
Behind her shouts had started up, heads turning to watch the would-be-thief. Aeronwyn choked back a sob. Not even ten steps, nowhere close to freedom, and she had already failed.
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:38 pm
It wasn't the first time he'd seen someone steal -- there was that blonde boy not long after he'd found Aravel as the most memorable to date -- but it was the first time he'd seen a girl do it. And truly, to Garrett, the woman looked absolutely ravaged by time and chewed up by circumstance. It wasn't all that far off from how he himself had been when he was younger. That wasn't what gathered his attention, however, as he had little sympathy to spare and tended to want to draw as little attention to himself as possible; no, what made him pause, what drew his hesitation was that Aravel was paying the girl mind.
The buck was watching with those glowing, keen eyes, the beast a solid mass that refused to be pushed by once his attention was garnered. The mercenary pursed his lips, one hand resting upon a slate wither, flicking his green eyes towards his equally green-orbed Guardian. "You're sure?" he asked the buck, and though the great horned creature didn't move or blink, Garrett nodded his understanding and gave the smooth pelt a gentle pat. "Help me out, then."
Adjusting his fine coat and plucking at the cuffs of his sleeves, he fairly sauntered over to the girl and the young man she had collided with, curling his scarred lip in derision. "They just let any type of cretin run through the markets now, don't they?" The man's voice was absent of honey, instead steeled and clipped. Leaning down, he abruptly grabbed both of the two by their arms and hauled them up, releasing Killian with a sharp glance. "Get the fallen produce, will you? It's useless now, we'll throw it away--" With great flourish, he waved his then-freed hands towards the increasing babble and threat of the stall owners. "Stay your posts ladies, I'll take this vermin in and make sure she's five digits less on one side. Ara and I both."
If Garrett didn't cut enough of a well-to-do figure, then he supposed the addition of his enormous Guardian would certainly suffice. Aravel calmly made his way around the area, ensuring a slowly increasing gap between the three and those that sought to bear the girl harm. The buck lowered his generous horns, entirely without threat but with a promise that he knew how to use them. Garrett bit back a smile at the images his Guardian painted for him, turning his attention to the two closest to him. Careful not to let his scarred face split into a smile, he murmured under his breath to Aeronwyn, "Struggle if you want; just play along -- can't expect everyone to respect the presence of a gigantic buck who answers to someone like me."
Continuing his gruff facade, he lifted his bearded chin to Killian. "You get that basket together yet? Come, come -- we've got to show what she was taking or this is without merit." Using his controlling grip, he pressed the girl up against Aravel's side as though he might toss her over the beast's back -- and he might, but only if things got too hairy.
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:59 pm
It wasn't the first time he'd been run into. Or run into someone, come to that. The person on the other end of the collision usually determined which way the finger of blame pointed.
A lady, this time. Well, a girl, which made it his fault straight away. He would have apologized if she hadn't knocked him off balance, sending him stumbling and stepping around her until his balance fled and he, too, toppled like a stack of poorly balanced crates. In the midst of silent admonitions not to land on said girl came one even more important: don't lose the merchandise!
So it was that he maintained a grip on the tools he'd carried when he was pulled to his feet and pointed at the overturned basket. He was supposed to pick those things up? But they weren't his and he wasn't meant to touch--
The second command of sorts set him right, and he flinched a little, then shoved an end of his bundle underneath his belt. He stooped for the basket and then bent to plunk the potatoes back in it, one by one. "Potatoes," he said. "Just potatoes. That's what she's got. Potatoes to eat."
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Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:59 pm
Her first instinct was to abandon the food and fight for freedom. But she didn’t even find her feet before she had been hauled upright by a strong grip. Aeronwyn flinched and pulled back as far as she could, as if she could somehow tear from the man’s grasp. But the effort was pointless and his grip unyielding. She was shivering visibly; face mostly obscured long, untamed hair. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry; let me go, just let me go.” A spark of alarm that was not her own enflamed her panic even further, until she could barely breath.
Head jerking up, she searched for some sort of escape. But all she saw was the grumbling crowd… and the buck. Aeronwyn’s struggled abruptly stopped and Garrett’s words reached her. Why would he do this?
Aeronwyn gave an imperceptible nod. While she did not trust his motives, this was her only chance and she had to play along. She seemed to sag in defeat. With a wail of despair the girl pressed her face into Aravel’s side and sobbed quietly for her audience as she placed her fate in the stranger’s hands.
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:36 am
"And fine potatoes they are, a shame none shall partake in them now, isn't it? Ladies, truly, I insist you return to your wares lest other thieves take advantage of your rage? Let's be sensible about this." Again, he flippantly waved a hand to indicate he was quite finished with this one-sided conversation and that the marketplace should continue about without them. If Garrett wanted them to 'rely' on him to get it done, he'd have to shrug off their angry eyes sooner than later.
His fingers remained around the girl's arm, but when she began to sob against Aravel's side, his grip loosened while maintaining an iron appearance. If she understood, that was all that mattered. "Apologies, young man, I don't think I got your name in all this noise - and if it's not too much of an impeding request, might you accompany us until this is handled?" Green eyes rested calmly on the one picking up the potatoes, yet still ignoring those around them as to continue to encourage them to be on their way. Only when the last of the fallen food was gathered did the mercenary begin to move forward, Aravel following suit only once the buck was certain the woman was moving with them. Garrett may have been playing a part, and while Aravel would follow him through, he was more concerned with the Chosen girl; his pale muzzle touched her shoulder, wet nose against her hair before he cleared the way for her passage with bowed head.
Oh, but he was loathe to be so rude to a woman! It went against every fibre of his being. The Guardian sent sympathetic colors of mingled blues and a small sliver of gold gratitude, earning a quiet sigh from the Chosen. How people lived with themselves in these conditions, he might never know. Watching the stalls begin to loosen in their clusters and fade out of sight entirely, Garrett intended only to lead them out of the marketplace and towards the taverns, where he'd let the two be on their merry way; he'd done his good deed for the year.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:45 pm
Aeronwyn walked alongside Aravel with bowed shoulders, clinging to the stag with one arm, her fingers buried in his fur. If the Guardian had not been there, she would never have allowed herself to trust Garrett’s motives. But the man’s grip on her arm was gentle, despite appearances and she began to hope that he would indeed get her to freedom. Slowly people began to turn away, losing interest in the pathetic scene. She focused on walking, keeping her head down. Emotions churned; fear still, a hint of relief… determination and fury? Oh dear.
Aeronwyn would have been more than happy to reach the tavern, mutter a thanks and take off back into the wild. But someone had broken rank. Her panic had reached a certain young Guardian and Kedehern would not stay put when his Chosen was in trouble. The fawn came charging down the street on gangly legs, his head lowered and ready to ram straight into Garrett.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:04 pm
Accompany them. That meant to with them. And it meant not finishing the task he'd been set to in the first place, but. Well. That could wait, a little while, couldn't it? He didn't have much choice, really, having been asked more or less politely. And he couldn't just walk away from a girl with tears still in her eyes.
So he shoved the handle of the hammer under his belt at the small of his back and shifted the potato basket around enough that he could tuck the chisel at his side, then he gave Garrett and agreeable nod and offered a small smile to Aeronwyn, not that she was like to see it.
Not with a Guardian right there, up close and personal and willing for her to lean on him. Killian was staring. Killian shook himself. "I can go. I'll come," he amended, already walking along with them. Right up until another of the Guardians came loping at them, head down and those horns of his pointed in their direction. Then Killian stopped in the middle of the road again. "Look out!"
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:38 pm
"My gratitude, sir," he directed to Killian's favorable nod, relieved that the chap wasn't going to give him a hard time. As the unlikely trio (plus one antlered bodyguard) made their way out of the chatter of the marketplace and into quieter routes, Garrett chanced a few more glances at the girl. Now that he could get a good look at her, he realized -- she wasn't really a girl so much as a young lady, perhaps not much younger than he. What in the dickens was she doing in such an unkempt state?
He stopped himself just short of yanking her arm out of her socket when Aravel abruptly stopped, forcing the mercenary to do a hop, a skip, and teeter backwards to stay at her side. Giving the buck a bewildered look, he looked between the wet-eyed female and the affable young man, wondering if he was the only one missing out on the point. The unrefined clatter of clumsy galloping caught his attention, and with a slow tilt of his head, he marveled at the grey foal that was charging down the road as though the women from before were gnashing at his heels. Garrett hid a small smile, casting a bemused but grateful glance to the potato-wielding young man at his warning.
"They wont give up, you know, not until they feel they've done what they can. Isn't that right, Ara?" Green eyes focused at the rapidly encroaching fawn and only when it was nearly in touching distance did he move; the fawn caught him on the side of his thigh, a glancing blow but by all that was unholy, it smarted! Garrett released the woman and bounced back a few paces to regain his balance, each step jarring what promised to be a most remarkable bruise before he leaned against the buck's hindquarters to catch himself. "Aah -- that -- is a hard little head on that fella, miss!"
Aravel curved his great neck to nose Garrett's dark hair, also nosing the girl before he went so far as to offer a warning whuffle to the fawn; the youth was exuberant, to be sure, but the scar-faced bafoon was his Chosen. If anyone was going to knock him around, it was him.
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 6:03 pm
“Kedehern!” Aeronwyn’s shout didn’t even slow the fawn, his target clear in his mind. He achieved a small triumph, a glancing blow to his enemy, and then had the unfortunate issue of having to come to a stop. He gave a bleat of dismay as his legs tangled and he tumbled straight over. Blinking owlishly, his ears flicked back against his head at Aravel’s stern whuffle. He protested back with a huff. He’d only been protecting what was his. “Oh Kedehern.” Aeronwyn brushed past Aravel, giving the larger buck a fond touch, before kneeling beside the fawn. “I told you to stay in the forest.” Her scolding was perfunctory and there were fresh tears in her eyes as she bent over to kiss the top of his head. “I’m okay.” Rubbing the fawn’s ears, she looked over her shoulder at Garrett. “We’re sorry. I hope you’re not badly hurt…” She was nervous. Garrett was obviously a chosen, but the other man wasn’t, as far as she knew. So far she had kept Kedehern hidden from everyone, some part of her terrified he would be taken away. [Sorry this took so long!]
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