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 Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:18 pm
The sun was high, and the frosted grass sparkled. It wasn't going to melt today, no, but the sun was at least making it an enjoyable sight. Against her better judgement, Rosalie had left Palisade for the Wardwood. Her cloak was wrapped tight around her figure, layered in furs and cloths in hope of shutting out the cold of the harsh winter. She wasn't going only to leave tribute, but also to show Aelius the tree, and to see it just once more. Though the choosing was long done, she longed to see the mystical tree again, to gain another insight for her work. And so she rode upon her buck, on the rode to the Wardwood. Aelius was thrilled to carry his chosen. It was a rare occasion that Rosalie would ride him, and even though he didn't much care for the cold, he was glad to have her by his side...er...on top of him. The talk of wolves lingered in his mind as well, though they were traveling by daylight. Nighttime was the problem, he assumed. Only those sneaky enough would strike at night, like what he assumed the wolves were like....So he remained cautious as they went.
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 5:40 am
Sneaking Idriss along to Oldcastle had been a logistical nightmare. Every time Oban Kinross left Ennisfree on business (the elder Kinross had long prided himself on his money-earning skills and instincts, and marriage into proper, titled nobility had done nothing to stop him to continuing to earn a profit; the man loved money much more than his title) he brought Jordun along in the hope that his second son could grow up to have some decent business sense. The plan for the Kinross family's next generation was to have Andrus instated as the official lord and head of the estate, keeping up appearances and cultivating all the necessary relations, while Jordun would work behind the scenes to keep the family's coffers full to bursting with money, money and more money.
Much to everyone's surprise, Jordun seemed an apt businessman indeed; he had an eye for spotting investment opportunities and his inherent creativity allowed him to come up with all sorts of ways to earn more. The only trouble seemed to be that he had no interest in money whatsoever, and even less interest in making the family rich and richer. He often begged off on business trips, to his father's endless consternation, and when he couldn't weasel his way out of going along, he did his best to weasel his way out of making the full trip.
It was as much for himself as it was for Idriss, however. If there was anything Jordun had ever succeeded in, it was keeping the little doe off his father's radar. Few in the household knew of the guardian's existence, least of all the servants closest to Oban. For that very reason, sneaking Idriss along on trips proved a consistent headache and nightmare. She was constantly required to tag along under the cover of trees and shadow, and if there was none, Jordun would have to convince her to follow half a day behind until they reached the next stop. Of late, she was becoming more and more difficult to placate.
But today, Oban had taken most of his entourage and continued on without Jordun after the latter had complained most convincingly of a sickness in his stomach that left him curled in bed and unwilling to move. The lord would return in several days' time and retrieve his ailing son then. Jordun could not have asked for more. After noon, he had sneaked out of his room after stuffing pillows and clothes under his blankets and retreated to the woods behind the inn, seeking his beloved guardian.
"Driss! Come here, sweet, we'll explore a little, why don't we?" The branches of the tree seemed to loom overhead, a little threateningly, but Idriss never felt bothered by them in the least. Jordun watched them warily as he waited for the doe to appear. It was quiet all around save for the occasional chirrup of birds and squirrels hiding in the leaves. "Driss...?"
Then from behind, he felt a sudden shove and heard a snort, and he leaped in fright, prepared to scramble for cover when he finally felt laughter and amusement projected to him, and he whirled to see the doe waggling her fluffy tail behind him with snow dusted across her nose. "You... cheeky!" He would have continued, but suddenly, he saw Idriss' ears p***k and her head turn toward one sound or another, and he stopped. "Who is it?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:29 pm
Aelius let out a grunt, projecting his temporary exhaustion to his chosen as he swayed off the path to a stop, settling down in the snow. He wasn't about to continue for a while, his legs were sore and needed just an hour's rest. Or perhaps, since the area seemed quiet enough, they could sleep? Rosalie stepped off of the buck, sitting down beside him to pat his head. "Good job...You've earned it..." She murmured, still keeping her cloak close. The biting winds had stopped for the moment at least, and perhaps the inn would let her warm her bones...But she didn't feel comfortable leaving Aelius outside. There was just something she couldn't describe about today, it felt odd, not quite right. Aelius, however, was more keen to what was happening behind the inn. He could hear things....Was someone having fun? Making friends? He didn't know who or what, but he was happy to be here with his chosen, even if it was in the snow. He nosed at Rosalie just a little bit, as if asking her to get up and check. She wasn't having any of it though, continuing to stroke along his fur. "Shh..Just relax for now. I'm not going anywhere."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:13 pm
When he looked back at Idriss, he saw her tail was waving so furiously from side to side that it sent a wriggle all the way up her spine. A look of pure, unadulterated glee was about her, from the way she stood to the p***k of her soft ears and the wiggle of her pink nose and the light in her eyes. "Uh oh," Jordun murmured, quite sure that she was in no state to hear him. "I know what this means."
What it meant, without a doubt, was that Idriss was poised to go sprinting off into the unknown in hot pursuit of something or someone equally unknown. What it could mean - and Jordun had come to realize that it usually did, but not always - was that there was another Guardian nearby. Sometimes, though, the doe's reaction could be triggered by the presence of anything touched by magic, and other times, she simply felt like being excited.
Before Jordun had time to ponder further, Idriss let out a sound like a little chirrup and went sprinting off just as he had expected, kicking up powdered snow with every step. For a moment, he simply stood and watched; some days, he had to mentally steel himself to go chasing after her on her wild escapades.
By the time he rounded the corner to the front of the inn, he was puffing from the strain of plowing through the snow and she had found herself a new friend, prancing and dancing round and round the coppery buck, but at an arm's length, as he had taught her to do before he had the chance to show up and evaluate the situation for himself. Idriss was a smart thing, but Jordun refused to see her plow heedlessly into everything. "Oh. Good day, miss," he said when he caught sight of woman who stood nearby.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:03 pm
Aelius perked up considerably as the doe came bounding around the corner, eyes bright with mischief. Oh gosh another friend! Another friend! gonk He was a little too tired to get up for the moment, but he greeted her with an excited call, trying to get her to settle down just enough to bump noses with her! Rosalie seemed a little startled by Idriss' sudden appearance, though laughed as she bounded around. Well, some guardians were far more similar to hers it seemed. Remembering the bounces Aelius had done after meeting Orpheus, she saw it to be not much different. However, this would be the first doe she and Aelius had met! The woman had figured that there weren't only bucks, but finally meeting a doe was wonderful. "Well hello there, lovely!" She laughed, letting go of her cloak to reach her hand out in offering for pats. Perhaps Idriss would like some? However, the appearance of a chosen wasn't far behind. Rosalie laughed a little, watching the doe dance around with her hands on her hips. "Good day indeed! Is she yours?" Forgetting the threat of wolves for now, she found it wonderful to meet another chosen and his guardian. "She's quite the little spirit, isn't she? Much like mine, if he weren't so exhausted for the moment!"
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:30 am
When Jordun appeared, Idriss ran to him and stood radiating energy and excitement as she worried his elbow with impatient nudges. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, silly! "I... most certainly," he managed to say, trying to take in the situation and stay relatively undistracted by the pale doe at his side. "She is quite the character." Obviously.
Why can't you ever be that exhausted? He wondered to the doe, watching the golden buck with a smile. Idriss sent him back an indignant image of him on her back - clearly to point out that it never happened, never giving her the opportunity to be so exhausted. Duh. Oh, shut it. Go have fun, already, he conceded. The buck and his chosen seemed to be fairly harmless, anyway, and Jordun trusted others with Guardians more easily than he did regular people.
Idriss butted her head delightedly against his arm and dashed forth again, first to lovingly accept some of those pats that Rosalie had offered and then to poke her muzzle down at the buck with pink nose wiggling. HELLO!
Jordun couldn't have beaten back the grin that came across his face even if he had wanted to. He turned back to the woman and extended his hand. "Jordun Kinross," he said. "It is a pleasure to meet my lady."
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:19 pm
"She's quite like mine, full of energy and usually not exhausted." Rosalie smiled, watching the two deer meet and nuzzle. She herself was rather soft and sweet, enjoying patting the doe. My my, another new friend for her and Aelius. However, not wanting to be rude to her chosen, she strode over to meet his handshake. "Rosalie. Rosalie Satre. It's a pleasure as well." She nodded, looking him over. He certainly wasn't from a poor family, though she certainly had run in to others who were the same. "I was on my way to the Wardwood to pay my respects to the spirits. Can't be too careful these days." The woman noted, glancing back to the path. "It's good to see another with a guardian though, it's been a while since I've had the pleasure. And the first doe I've seen at that." Aelius happily bumped noses with her again and again, eyes bright with joy, though tired from the rode. Oh how he'd love to get up and prance with her! Well....Maybe he had the energy to, especially if they were to spend the night. He sent the questioning tone to his own chosen, only to gain back a nod. With glee, he rose to his feet, and started to prance around with Idriss, bouncing and leaping in joy. Friend friend friend~!
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:19 am
"To the Wardwood," he echoed, wondering why he had not thought to do the same. Especially in light of recent developments. If the talk was to be believed - and Jordun suspected that it was - then they would need all the help they could get.
It would have been a pleasure to see the ward-tree again, with its glowing runes and the myriad totems hanging mysteriously from its branches; he had not been back since he had taken Idriss totem five years ago. Jordun doubted it had changed. There was an ancient and timeless aura to the tree that seemed to say it had stood there for centuries and would continue to do so for centuries more. He had not the time to visit anymore, but perhaps one day, he would be back.
"I quite agree, it is always a treat to meet others." He and Idriss got to see Jack and Astrophel often enough, but Jordun knew almost every other inhabitant of Wellisbury, and none of them had guardians. It was a shame, but Idriss seemed perfectly content to share his company every day and never seemed any less excited to do so. "What is the name of your buck?"
A sudden joy that seemed almost delirious to Jordun, but which seemed to be Idriss' default mode of operation, shot through him as she projected her glee. He had to laugh aloud at that; her joy was so often contagious that it was difficult to resist. In the next moment, she had butted her head unceremoniously against the buck's side, and then sprinted away in an invitation to play tag.
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:23 pm
She nodded, giving an awkward smile. "Well....I'm not sure how you feel about the recent rumors, but it's better to be safe than sorry....And I'd like to see the ward-tree again." It was then that it became a real smile, far more peaceful and longing. "My first trip is what got me my guardian, Aelius..." She introduced him, though the buck was busy at the moment. "But this trip...I need a little more inspiration for my work it seems." Rosalie gave a deep sigh, remembering just how many swords needed to get done, not to mention the other commissions... "It's also a break from working." Aelius went right after Idriss with a burst of energy he had been trying to conserve, kicking up the snow as he went. At one point, he nearly ran his chosen over, the woman shaking her fist at him and demanding he be more careful. Aelius didn't care though, he was having fun! After slowing down to a slow trot after her, he got another gleam in his eye, and managed to catch up and tag her back, sprinting off to try to evade her. "I'm terribly sorry, he doesn't like to watch where he's going sometimes." She had caught her breath from her chiding of the buck, and watched for a moment as he went off running again. "They have a lot of energy, don't they? Oh, and your doe's name? She's so lovely. Almost could blend in with the snow."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:15 pm
"Morbid as they may be, I do not doubt the rumors have at least some verity in them," Jordun admitted, feeling all the more somber for it. That the rumors had come out of the north and were still slowly making their way south provided some semblance of reassurance, but the dreamer in him couldn't help but think that before long, the situation would not be so contained. If there were truly Wolves at large and if they could really wreak the sort of havoc that came with the stories, then there was nothing stopping them from sweeping south and invading all of Sunderland. What better time to do it than in the heart of a bitter winter, when both supplies and morale were difficult to come by?
But that was enough morbidity for one day. Jordun turned to look at Rosalie curiously, wondering what work would require a break for inspiration. The description made him think of art of some sort. "What is it that you do, if you will pardon my curiosity?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Idriss come pelting through the snow at top speed in hot pursuit of the buck that had just tagged her back. With flakes and powder clinging to her legs and lower body, she looked almost paler than she had to begin with, and somehow much more exuberant. The cold weather certainly agreed with her much more than it did with her Chosen.
"Not to worry," Jordun reassured his companion as she scolded Aelius after he had come bowling past. "I have more than enough practice avoiding being run over by Idriss. Though I imagine it is less of a problem when she is so much smaller than yours." The only time it ever hurt when Idriss managed to bowl him over was if she tripped and accidentally trampled him in the process, and those occurrences were few and far between. She had all but perfect the art of bounding up to him and swinging her hindquarters at the last minute to push him face-first into the snow.
Did you hear that, Driss? Miss Rosalie thinks you are lovely.
In the midst of her gamboling, the doe managed to send back an emotion that Jordun likened to a flattered giggle. He chuckled, both in amusement and under the influence of her delight. "She sends her thanks. You have quite flattered, I believe. And she does so love snow; I think she must have been born specifically to look like it."
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 9:12 pm
"I haven't yet seeked the help of a hedgewitch, as many are doing, but I have been getting an awful lot of commissions." She gave another deep sigh. The work at home, the many orders she had to fill...That wasn't leaving her mind just yet. But quietly, she thought of seeing the ward tree again....The glowing bark, and the delicately hanging totems....She wasn't being called like the last time, no. But this was just a trip to see it. To show Aelius where she had found him. "Oh! I'm a smith. I make a lot of things, swords, pendants, amulets...." She smiled a little shyly. Rosalie had a feeling Jordun wouldn't mind her occupation, he seemed kind enough. "Though there's been a lot of swords lately. I'm getting a little bored with it. That's the main reason I'm coming this way." "She's like a small pixy in this snow. She really does seem like she belongs in it. Unlike my clumsy goof of a buck." Rosalie laughed lightly, smiling as she watched the two play. "He can be a problem sometimes. Usually not with knocking things over, but with being social. I'll be serving tea to a customer one moment, and the next he has his head in their laps demanding attention." The sad part was she wasn't joking. "Aww, she seems like a real sweetheart." The woman smiled, "Do you stay here often? I was thinking of calling it a day, since Aelius was worn out....Seems like he's got plenty left to play with her though." Indeed, the buck gave another bound, trying to escape the doe's snout! He wasn't going to be tagged yet! But he was running out of steam so quick! Would Idriss catch him?
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 9:31 am
"Ah, a smith, you say? A noble profession; our army would have a terrible time defending our country if not for you." And Jordun quite liked the idea of smithing. No doubt he would tire before managing to forge even half a sword, but he loved the creationist nature of the job. Designing different suits of armors and crafting swords with intricate inlays was infinitely more fascinating than many other occupations.
"Why, that is exactly what I've said to myself on many occasions," he replied, watching as the aforementioned pixie flitted across the snow-covered lawn in pursuit of Aelius. "There isn't a season she loves more than winter. She was born in the cold. I suppose she's simply grown used to it." She was quite a game little doe, light on her feet and quick, and she could dash from place to place with astonishing speed. She let out a little bark as she took two quick leaps and butted her nose against the buck's flank. And then, just like that, she had spun and was sprinting off again in another direction. Oh ho! "Clumsy as your buck may be, he still cuts quite the gallant figure."
And then, a sudden idea came to mind. "If I've judged your speech correctly, I would guess you were from Palisade," he said as a precursor to what would come next. "Would you find it terribly dull if I asked you to forge another sword upon your return? I rather more intricate one, perhaps that will make it more interesting than a regular blade."
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 7:17 pm
"Oh! Why thank you...." Rosalie stuttered a little bit, turning red. A...noble profession? That she hadn't heard before. But yes, she did occasionally provide for the armies, though few commissions ever came to her for that sort of thing...Not until recently. "To be honest I haven't gotten many commissions from them until now. Though it seems every man and his wife wants a sword these days." She tried to explain, laughing lightly. There was no way she'd take that much credit for it. Far more larger shops got the majority of the orders. "She sure fairs well in running in it." She nodded. Idriss was certainly beautiful, and Rosalie couldn't help but cheer as she tagged Aelius, gaining a rather annoyed look from the buck to his chosen as he stopped for a moment, then went dashing after her. "Oh dear, I seem to have offended him. I'm sure the worst will come later." "Oh, yes. I grew up there actually...With my father. I inherited the shop when he was no longer able to work." However, her eyes lit up as he described what he wanted. This wasn't just going to be any sword, oh no. This was going to be the best damn sword she had ever made. The word 'intricate'? That was her territory. "I'd...I'd be honored." There was a sparkle of pure enjoyment in her eyes. "I know exactly what I'll do with it too." Oh yes, she had a sketchbook on her. "Perhaps when the two have worn themselves out I'll take a look at Idriss, if the lady of snow will allow me."
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:47 am
Jordun nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, but then, they would." Common folk seemed more superstitious as a whole than the upper class, and stories like the ones circulating were sure to galvanize many into arming themselves for the worst. While he didn't necessarily rest easy at the idea of swords and other weaponry in the hands of those untrained in combat, it was obvious that it might one day be justified. Better to arm the unfit than to stand by and watch their hapless slaughter. "Prudent on their part, but I wonder sometimes if that will be enough."
He watched as Idriss danced away and snaked toward a tree, doubled back and ran the opposite direction in an attempt to mislead her pursuer. Left and right and back again she raced, evading and dodging and sprinting when there was open space.
"That is quite a brilliant idea. No doubt she will be happy to," he agreed. "I have been meaning to send my brother a gift in Palisade, something that will mean something to the both of us." A sword inspired by his guardian certainly seemed the way to go. There was hardly anything that defined Jordun as much as his bond with Idriss.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:00 pm
She nodded in agreement, taking the moment to stretch in the cold air. "None of them want anything terribly intricate though. Just a plain old sword, maybe a dagger for the wife...." Too much plain things were just killing her! "I'm happy to provide, it just gets monotonous after a while. More coin for me means I don't have to worry too much about living day to day." Aelius was far too caught up in it to notice, and went after her the exact way she went. He did, however, get a little confused as she turned. Where was she going?! The sweet, but a little less bright, buck continued right after her, desperately trying to catch up. "I remember getting much inspiration from the ward tree." She breathed, breath freezing in midair. "She's got that splendor to her as well, and I'm sure she would be good inspiration as well." At the mention of a brother, she laughed a little. "A brother in Palisade, huh? Must be nice to have someone, though this is a little far out. I don't think you live at the inn either. You traveling from Oldcastle?"
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