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The day was beautiful, as if summer was fighting with autumn in the skies above. Crisp air but brilliantly blue skies were her two favorite things and she'd woken up feeling refreshed and exhilarated as the cool air tickled her skin. Spending the night in Oldcastle had done her a world of good. For once, she'd fallen asleep sober instead of blacked out from drink, and the quiet of this place had allowed her to relax. As much as Palisade had grown on her, there were still times where the constant business of it kept her on edge.

Slipping into her riding clothes and gathering the few things she'd brought with her, Soibhan rushed from the paid for room and sprinted towards the inn's stables where a dark, inquisitive head peered at her from over the half-door of a large stall.

"Ready for a ride, beastie?" she asked, grabbing the horse's massive head and rubbing his cheeks. The stallion chuffed at her, biting the air as he sought a treat. "Glutton," she added with a laugh, pulling a strawberry from her pocket and smiling when he took it gently from her fingers.

Yanking the stall open, she waited for him to step free before swinging herself up onto his bare back and slapping him affectionately on the neck. "We've a stop te make in Oldcastle proper, then ye can run." The horse flicked his ears and gave an excited little buck before he turned and started towards the middle of the town.

Oldcastle was leaps and bounds different from Palisade, and she liked it, for the most part. The looming, half-finished structure of the Warden Grounds still earned a glare from her, but everything else had almost the feeling of home. It was like a place locked in time, much like her own land. Lochlan's hooves clopped soothingly against the worn cobbles and she relaxed on his back, searching for the little shop she'd seen the day before.

But then she heard a voice. It was familiar...but not. Turning, she scanned the faces of those going about their business until she found the person that it belonged to.

Her jaw promptly dropped.

Well, if this isn't a wee bit interestin'. Tha' was definitely Caroline. An' tha' is definitely no' Rob.

She stared around, as if expecting Rob to be looming around a corner somewhere with his brooding expression frightening away small children. When she didn't spot him anywhere, she grew curious. Lochlan shifted impatiently beneath her and let out a long snort.

"Shush," she murmured, fingers in his mane. The man had turned back even as Caroline continued on, presumably to Palisade. That made things even more curious. Was he a body guard? It wasn't much of a stretch. Caroline was definitely someone that would have a guard posted to her, the little doll of a woman that she was.

Curiouser an' curiouser... But Rob wouldn't have put a guard on Caroline. His silly, misplaced sense of obligation would keep him at her side unless something else took him away. Maybe he's out te sea again? If he was, then Caroline was a right piece of work. Forgetting about Rob at her soonest convenience.

Like he did te me...

She scowled, refocusing on the unknown man with narrowed eyes as he strode down the walk. But when he stopped and looked at her, she blinked. s**t, he's seen me. Ah well, time te do a little investigatin'... Clicking her tongue, she nudged the stallion forward, right towards him.

"Oh, aye. We do. But only if ye tell me somethin' I doona want te hear," she answered him as the stallion trotted closer. He didn't seem thrilled by the buck and put his ears back. Thumping him on the neck as a command to behave, she swung her leg over. She could have very well stayed atop the stallion's back; it would have given her the higher ground, but she liked to be on an even footing with men. It generally made them less likely to snub her for some reason, as if being above them made them feel less manly.

Men're idiots.

Hitting the ground lightly, she stood before him with her hands on her hips, her gaze going up and down him. He was a handsome thing, that much she could see. Her eyes flicked towards the buck beside him, softening slightly. A handsome creature as well, and strong in the chest. The buck didn't seem to care overly much for her presence however, but she ignored the feeling.

"Who are ye and what were ye doin' with Caroline?"

The bloody little twit stole me man, she thought ungraciously, scowling, but out loud she merely said, "We're....acquaintances. We've met afore, though last time I saw 'er, ye weren't the one on 'er wee pre'ey arm." She narrowed her eyes at him, returning his suspicion. "Ye got doe eyes fer the lass, I can see it. Why?"

She wasn't going to move out of his way until he told her something. His answer would determine how good the rest of her day would be. If he was the 'new man', than that could very well mean that Caroline was out of the picture, though the thought might have been a little....mean-spirited.

"C'mon, c'mon. Open yer mouth, lad, an' speak some words! I ain't got all day; I've got Chosen te train!"

"Fiance? 'Er fiance...shot you?" She seemed incredulous at first, but then she burst into laughter, grabbing her gut as she wheezed. "I'm sorry, bu' this is too good." She had another round of laughter before she straightened, wiping an amused tear from her eye. "No' good tha' ye were shot, mind ye. I'm sure tha' hurt a might bit, but ye look in good spirits."

Eyeing Valerian, she pulled a strawberry from her pocket and offered it to the buck, ignoring Lochlan's snort of jealousy. It seemed almost as if she was going to ignore his question as well, but then she said, "Trainin' 'em te fight o' course. Uh, special trainin'. Ye wouldn't be interested."

If they met last winter, than Caroline had her hands in two different pots. Well, apparently three. Fiance indeed. Rob had said she needed protecting. Maybe it was from the fiance?

"Are the two o' ye....ye know..." She wiggled her fingers in the air.

She shrugged nonchalantly, picking at a short nail. "Oh, no reason. Jus' wonderin' how close ye two were. After all, like I said, ye weren't the one on 'er arm when I ran into 'er at the Masque."

Was she bringing this up out of spite? Possibly.

Probably.

Lochlan snorted, finally letting his curiosity get the better of him as he reached his now out to the Guardian.

Gesturing towards Valerian, she asked "Were ye and this handsome buck at the Masque?" she asked innocently; she had a feeling he had been, and wondered if Caroline had been with him even then. Wouldn't that make things interesting?

Pursing her lips, Soibhan glanced down the street as she gathered her thoughts. Should she tell him? She wouldn't lie to herself; all of this was for her own spiteful benefit, seeing as she truly disliked everything about the diminutive, flower like woman that had been on Rob's arm.

"I know who it was. But does it even matter? I doubt ye know 'im," she said finally, staring at him with her head cocked to one side. "E's a sailor, a rough sort o' fellow. Part o' me special trainin' when 'im and 'is brother are in port." Her golden eyes glittered. "She musta started the day with 'im and ended it with ye."

Frowning, she wondered how much she wanted to tell him. The man seemed far too curious for his own good, but at least he was persistently curious. Generally whenever that was the case, the person had a vested interest in what she had to say. Though why he didn't ask more about Rob and Caroline, she couldn't begin to understand. In his shoes, Soibhan would have asked questions about it until she couldn't talk anymore.

Interesting.

Sighing, she crossed her arms and shifted. "I doona trust the spirit the Queen is workin' with. The fact tha' she's workin' with one at all has a lot o' folks in a tizzy. I jus'...gathered those folks t'gether." Narrowing her eyes, she looked him up and down again. He seemed like he would be a good fighter, and his buck looked more than capable. "Why d'ye ask?"