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 Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 10:06 pm
The horse splashed into the Thrithing with an exuberance that better suited a young colt. He snorted and pranced, throwing his tail high and splashing her with the water it held in the process. Palisade loomed behind them, the lights just coming on as the sun set in the West. Soibhan let him drink and play, her gaze distant as she sat upon his back without really caring where the stallion went.
She had been right in thinking she would be sore. The fight had happened only the day before, and though she'd went to Rajani immediately after, the bruises and aches had only felt worse after waking up this morning. She'd been so stiff that she'd fallen out of bed. Everything between the fight and now seemed like such a distant thing, as if a daze had settled around her.
Edgar's words kept eating at her, but the loss to the man was a bigger wound to her pride than any physical one he'd placed upon her body. She'd never lost like that before. Never. And to lose to such an insufferable p***k? It only made things worse. Though if she were to be honest with herself(which she kept trying to avoid), everything the man had accused her of doing she had actually done. Her notorious anger had gotten the better of her and she'd let it control her like a puppeteer had grabbed all of her strings.
Sighing, she leaned against the stallion's neck, wrapping her arms as far around it as she could. "Ye shoulda been there te kick the arse's head in."
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 9:19 am
Frustrations were running high in the Tiller household, forming a slight rift that occurred rarely between father and sons, but always concerned the same person when it did: Meredith. Rob and Ollie had returned to visit their mother to find her ill, but the news had hardly registered with their father, who treated his wife with more calculated dispassion than anything else. The lack of sentiment infuriated both brothers, but as Ollie was the more outspoken of the two, he had gotten into an argument with their father, which had sent Sam storming from the house and back to the Amaranta.
In the midst of all this, Tod had been born. It was a most inopportune moment, and Rob felt more than a little guilty that the tension charging through the house had taken away from the fawn's special occasion. In the several days after Tod's manifestation, Rob had been caught between making sure his mother had everything she needed, dealing with the many thoughts and images projected to him, and keeping the wide-eyed little Guardian out of trouble, which had quickly proven to be no easy task.
Tod was quite the opinionated little thing, which Ollie laughed off as the fawn attempting to be the big man of the house. But Rob was not entirely convinced. After Tod sent two bowls of soup flying while trying adamantly to be involved in the carrying process, Rob scooped the fawn up and dumped him outside. "Come along, little bugger, you've been inside too long," he said, shoving Tod's head away when the fawn tried to herd him back inside. "Wrong way, fool, we're going t'see the river."
The fawn seemed to ponder this, though Rob was convinced he couldn't yet understand the words, then seemed to relent, prancing along beside his Chosen as they followed the beaten dirt path toward the water. Although the main body of the Thrithing was too populated to allow a good view, Rob knew of a small tributary that was ideal for a baby seeing water for the first time.
Once in a while, the fawn would propose wandering off in a different direction by simply walking off and, Rob assumed, expecting his Chosen to follow. Each time, Rob gave a low whistle and shook his head. "This way, mate."
By the time the river came in sight, Rob could see the shape of a horse and rider lounging in the water. "Be nice," he cautioned the fawn, even though Tod had not shown himself to have a single mean bone in his body. The little Guardian went bouncing up to the edge of the water and peered in, staring fixedly at the water as if utterly surprised by the fact that he was staring back at himself. "Better get used to it. It's where you'll be a long time after this."
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 10:18 am
Lochlan stopped and turned his head to stare at something. Soibhan didn't notice at first, almost to the point of dozing against the horse's warm neck. But when he nickered and started purposefully walking towards whatever he'd seen, she blearily sat up and turned. "What've ye seen now, ye fool horse?" It was as if someone punched her in the jaw all over again, but also in the gut. The man's shape was one she had etched in her memory, for better or worse, and she couldn't mistake it for anyone else. Rob Tiller had come to the Thrithing, and he wasn't alone. That latter bit didn't quite register as quickly as it should have, but when the little animal frolicked around in the water, it was undoubtedly a fawn. Rob's fawn. Rob's guardian. Oh, Rob...Grabbing a fistful of Lochlan's mane, she yanked it and dug her heels into his flanks. "Nope. No. No, no, no, no, no. Stop. Halt. Goddamnit, horse, go th'other way!" she whispered vehemently, wanting to be somewhere, anywhere else. As badly as she wanted to see Rob, she couldn't let him see her like this. Didn't want to feel that stab of pain every time she remembered the look in his eyes when he had stared at Caroline. When the willful stallion didn't stop, she threw a leg over and slid right from his back into the water, intending to walk the other way and let them have their fun.
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 11:16 am
Within moments, the fawn and ventured into the water, first with his forelegs and then slowly inching his hind end in as well. Shallow as the river was at the shore, the water still came halfway up his spindly legs. Rob laughed aloud as he watched Tod try to pick each leg up clear of the water to take steps before realizing he could walk through it just as easily.
"No, not t'day," he said when the fawn came splashing over and nipped at his pants to try to pull him into the water. "I don't fancy a swim just yet." Tod disagreed. The fawn bleated and aimed a more insistent n** at his calf. Rob caught the little Guardian's muzzle and gave him a harder tap on the nose than usual. "I said no."
Something akin to a frown came across Tod's face and Rob thought for a moment that the fawn would throw a tantrum of sorts, but then the little Guardian suddenly slipped his face out of his Chosen's grasp and turned to bleat at something behind him. Rob followed Tod's gaze to see the roan stallion splashing over, and it took him but a second to recognize the horse.
"Hello, laddie," he said, rubbing the horse's face while Tod boldly investigated by sniffing as far up Lochlan's legs as he could reach. "Where's your lady, then, hm?" He asked, peering around the stallion to see familiar shock of short blonde hair that could only belong to Soibhan. "You're not doin' a good job hidin' yourself, y'know," he called out.
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 12:09 pm
Soibhan froze and a string of curses ran pell mell through her head. She spun in the shin deep water and thwacked Lochlan on the rump to move him out of her way. The horse did so with a whoosh of air and a flick of his tail aimed right at her face. He bent to nose the little fawn, eager as always to meet the guardians he found himself around because of his master. "I...wasn't hidin'. I was definitely runnin," she admitted, though she kept her voice low enough that there was a chance he couldn't hear her. She stared at the city in an effort to hide the bruised side of her face. Damn horse. Stupid, idiotic horse. "Who's the wee laddie there?" she asked after a moment, gesturing blindly towards the fawn. "He's new. One of your crew's?" Soibhan realized she was about as smooth as a gravel road at the moment, but now that he'd spoken to her, she didn't much want to leave. After everything that had happened recently, she wanted to be around someone that didn't question her. And for all of their tension, Rob hadn't once questioned the things she did. I miss you, and I've no right to...
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 3:38 pm
If it had been someone else, he might have missed what she said, but this was Soibhan, and much as he refused to admit it, part of him listened a little more closely simply because it was her. This was the first time he had seen her since their argument in the tavern, before the Amaranta had put out to sea again, and he hadn't thought to see her this time around. Their stay on land was brief and he had more than enough to juggle between Tod and his sick mother.
And yet, here they were. It saddened him somehow to know that this was her reaction, and she had every reason to want to avoid him but part of him thought that maybe it didn't have to be this way, the same part that lay awake some nights wondering how this all would have played out if Caroline had not entered his life. "S'just me, Soibhan," he said. "There's no need t'run." Part of him still remembered vividly the first night they had met. There was none of this then, none of this history and a blank slate was all they had needed to put things into motion.
He glanced down at Tod, who had reared up on his hind legs to try to see more of the stallion and was trying hard not to totter about too much in the water. "Mine," he said finally, trying not to sound sheepish. Rob could have helped his Choosing no more than Soibhan could have, but he knew what it meant to her and how she must feel, seeing more of others being Chosen but not herself. He didn't need her to have a Guardian to validate her abilities, but there were plenty in Sunderland who did. "Right little devil, he is, but Ollie doesn't think so. Thinks he's jus' bein' a baby, but somehow I don't think..."
He paused, noticing that she was adamantly avoiding looking at him. Was it something he had done? Something from before? Was she still angry about Caroline? Suddenly, a need to apologize swept him up, wanting to apologize for what had happened at the masque, apologize for yelling at her, apologize for ruining that song they had almost had... His hand moved toward her, as if to touch her arm, but then he dropped it and said instead, "Soibhan... would you please jus' look at me."
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 4:03 pm
"Jus' bein' a baby, righ'. With yer luck, he's gonna be tha' way forever," she said softly, stealing herself. It was just Rob, no one else, and that was the problem. Because just Rob was not her Rob. It was Caroline's Rob. How she had gotten so stuck on him, like a burr in wool, she didn't know, but to be so stuck even after all this time was nothing if not awful. And she couldn't avoid his gaze forever. Especially not after that plea; his voice held...something, as if he'd wanted different words to come out of his mouth. Sighing, she turned to him and met his gaze with hers, lifting her chin. I've got nothin' te hide, so why am I tryin'? Why do I care if he sees me all beat up?The bruise on her jaw was a myriad of shades, but most of them tended towards purple and blue. By now, the swelling had gone down, so at the very least, she didn't look like a chipmunk hiding acorns in her cheeks. The corner of her mouth twitched up in a smirk. "Ain't so pretty now, am I? At least no' for a few weeks."
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 7:51 pm
When she finally turned, Rob understood why she had kept her face turned the other way. In a moment, confusion, concern and anger flashed over his face. What could possibly have happened? His first thought was her kidnappers had found her somehow, had tried to steal her away again. But Soibhan had handled those men twice before, and she wouldn't have tried to hide it if she had beaten them a third time.
A heavy frown knitted his brow, and in spite of himself, he found himself reaching for her chin, tilting her head gently back and to the side, looking at the bruise. It was dark and angry and bespoke a heavy hit. Rob didn't want to imagine what it might have looked like a few days ago. "Takes more'n a bruise to make pretty go away," he said finally, letting his hand drop back to his side. He shook his head. "You fool," he added softly, and it wasn't clear whether he was talking about her comment about not being pretty or the fact that she had somehow managed to obtain the bruise in the first place.
"Who did this?" He heard himself say, even though part of him told him not to get involved, not to pry into business that was not his. But another part, a more insistent part, demanded that he forget reason, forget that Soibhan's struggles were not his and never had been.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:15 am
His touch on her cheek was tender, but it ignited that little flame for him she kept inside herself. In that touch, she knew he still cared about her well-being, but she couldn't be sure if that made her feel better or worse. In that moment, she was glad he couldn't see the other bruises. "Some pretentious sod Raj decided would make a good fit fer the group." She wanted to say more, to share the things she had been putting up with for months, but a stubborn pride kept her mouth shut and she crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her gaze to Tod and her silly horse. "No' tha' it matters much." Soibhan had, for a fleet second, been willing to let his fool comment slide by without a thought, but she had been called fool too often of late. And instead of stopping and figuring out why everyone seemed to see her as one, she grew angry instead. Angry about everything and nothing. Though his comment attested to the fact that he still saw her as pretty, she knew she looked like hell even under the bruises. Hollows under her eyes, too skinny, too pale from lack of sleep and too much booze. But he didn't look much better. There was a weight about his shoulders, and something told her it wasn't because of Tod, though he no doubt didn't help. The wee guardian looked like a handful and a half, though he was a cute bugger. Wanting to change the topic, she asked, "Wha's his name?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 10:18 am
Some pretentious sod? It didn't surprise Rob that the Fellowship had managed to recruit more members in the months that he and Ollie had been gone, and it pleased him to know that her vision was moving forward with these new recruits. But was it worth it? Was it worth having this happen for the sake of having more bodies around?
He followed her gaze to to the little Guardian, who was busy trying to playfully headbutt the stallion. "Tod," he answered, reluctant to let her change the topic. "They all think he's Taxes come again," he said, though there was an uncertainty to his words that said he knew better. Taxes had been a handful, sure, but Taxes had been an innocuous sort of trouble. For all that the doe loved to partake in pranks and good fun, she had a sensible head on her shoulders and an inherent understanding of where her loyalties lay. Rob wasn't so certain the same could be said for Tod. If anything, he could see this rowdiness evolving into something stronger and not necessarily more welcome. "He jus' needs a firm hand," Rob added. Whether or not the crew would comply was a whole other matter.
He turned back to her, a determined look on his face that Ollie and the crew knew meant he had made his mind up about something and should not be expected to change it. "How can you say it doesn't matter?" He asked, knowing he was stepping into a pit that he should really have avoided. But he was determined to get to the bottom of this, even if Soibhan wasn't. Running away from the problem wasn't her default course of action, which had to mean something bigger was at play.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 11:06 am
She stared at the water lapping around her shins, a humorless smile on her face. "Because Edgar's a good fighter, 'is guardian is one o' the most perceptible creatures I've ever met, an' he's a warden willin' te fight at our side, beneath the nose o' the queen. Tha' means 'e's useful." Everything the man had said to her since the day they'd met at the auction block had been countered by his willingness to participate in her little venture. He was stubborn, eager, and angry. But he was also intelligent, and as much as she despised him...she also respected him. That respect had helped sharpen the blow to her pride when he'd gotten the best of her. Unbidden, the events of the Masque came back to her and her eyes sharpened as she watched his face. "An' even if he wasn't, even if this-" and she pointed to her discolored jaw, "-was from another man that intended te hurt me instead o' teach me a lesson... wha' would it matter te ye, Rob Tiller?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 2:13 pm
"Edgar?" he echoed, committing the name to memory. It didn't seem to matter that this Edgar may or may not have had a legitimate reason for doing what he did. The mere fact that the man had done it to Soibhan seemed to be a moral outrage in and of itself. There were many sides to every story, but Rob didn't particularly seem to care. "And where did you pick this Edgar up?" The edge in his voice suggested he wouldn't have been surprised if they'd fished the man out of a gutter. Good fighter, indeed. It was unfortunate that the Fellowship was not in a position to turn away capable, willing fighters. Had it been up to Rob, it was obvious who would be the first to go.
Her next question brought a flare of emotion to his face, though whether it was anger or something else, it was hard to tell. "Of course it matters," he snapped, as if he couldn't believe she was asking in the first place. "Just because we never... doesn't mean I don't still--" He stopped. What were the words that had almost come out of his mouth - care? Like her? Want her? Maybe it was all of those.
He closed his eyes with a sigh and pushed his hair back from his face, unwilling to bring up the conversation they had had at their last meeting. "It jus' does, a'right? Just like it does when someone tries t'beat my brother. We're not in the business of lettin' bastards get away with things."
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Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:33 am
She wasn't going to let him drop it, not now, like she had back at the Masque. Or even in that tavern a few months later. No. But, she wasn't going to pry today. Even if she wanted desperately to know why this man shut down so effectively whenever the topic of, well, herself came up. Why he stumbled over some of his words and couldn't seem to find others. "Like I would le' him ge' away with hurtin' me without givin' him the same in return. Both ye an' Raj," she added with a scoff, crossing her arms while looking away. "Why don't either o' ye think I can give wha' I get? It's insultin'." Just as quickly as she'd crossed them, her arms dropped, as if she was unsure what to do with them. Then she made a very clear sound of frustration and stepped towards Rob, pushing him in the chest. "Maybe if ye an' Ollie woulda been there, this wouldna have happened." The realization that she was trying to pick a fight hit her almost immediately, but she didn't really care. Word had spread like wildfire after her duel with Edgar, and there seemed to be a split amongst the ranks of her Chosen warriors that was becoming more and more clear as the news spread. It seemed half of them thought she'd deserved it, and the other half...didn't know what to think. Everywhere she went, she could see the looks in their eyes. If Edgar had done anything in his favor, it was to plant a swiftly growing seed of doubt when it came to her abilities. Before, people could play the 'wait and see' game, but now? Now they had some tangible evidence. Now they could see that some of the man's words were true. Reckless. Rash. Unpredictable. Out of control.Soibhan had heard them all in the past few days, muttered behind her back. And yet, of everything, she still cared about what this man thought of her the most, and the fact that he was out of her life more then he was in it...hurt.
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Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:29 pm
"S'not an insult, Soi, it's because we care," he said, and it came out so naturally that for a moment Rob wondered why he had never said it before. Then he remembered and it was his turn to look away. Perhaps he had never allowed himself to admit that his feelings for Soibhan had never faded despite Caroline's entry into his life, but something told him that he had known all along, one way or another. And he had never said because he had never wanted to be the one who stood between two beautiful, wonderful women and had the audacity to feel less than thrilled simply because he didn't know if he could choose one over the other. Did anyone have the right? Rob suspected that if anyone did not, it was him.
Then the next moment, she was right up against him, pushing him back. He could feel the frustration in her push and the words that came from her. He took the step back with a small frown. Their last two meetings had been so disastrous and yet here she was again. A fight was the last thing Rob wanted, the last thing he wanted whatever relationship they had between them to become.
"Yea, maybe," he said. "An' maybe not. There's nothin' we can do about, an' damn it all if there aren't days when I wonder what I'm doin' at sea when I can't do anythin' useful out there. But tha's jus' life, innit? We're not actually at war, so life goes on. What can you or I or Ollie do about it? Sometimes s**t jus' happens!"
He stopped, realizing suddenly that perhaps he wasn't just talking about being on a ship anymore. Perhaps he was talking about something else, dearer to the both of them that neither could quite let go. He gray eyes on hers, and thought for a moment that he would say something more, but his thoughts were interrupted by a small creature insistently butting its head against his shin. He broke eye contact, looking down at little Tod, who had taken great interest in their conversation and had come over to imitate Soibhan.
"Stop it, laddie, you little devil," he growled. The fawn lifted his head, gazing up at him with sharp golden eyes. "Ah, you don't make things easy..." he said to the little Guardian, and more than a little to Soibhan as well.
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Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 7:20 am
She listened to him and tried to keep her face impassive, unsure if she was actually succeeding. A part of her didn't care if every emotion played across her face, but that prideful bit of her, that seemed far stronger than it had any right to, wanted to keep the hurt and frustration from her features. Upon thinking about it, Soibhan realized that she wasn't just frustrated with Rob because of his attraction to Caroline. She was frustrated with both Tiller brothers, because she had seen friendship in them just as she had with Rajani. The three of them had been the first people she'd met, and the brother had, in essence, saved her hide. It bothered her that they weren't always around, that the sea held more of their allegiance than she did. Such a feeling wasn't fair to them, and also rang loudly of selfishness. It made guilt worm its way into her. She wanted to say something, anything, but little Tod had nosed his way between them and she lost the will to say anything back. Her fingers fumbled in her pocket until she pulled out a little cube of sugar, holding it out to the guardian with steady fingers. "Easy's fer lazy arses," she said then, staring at him with eyes as sharp as those of his little guardian. An' if ye want easy, than maybe it's better tha' yer not mine. "I've no time fer this. I've got trainin' te do, thanks te Edgar. Sore muscles make fer dangerous stiffness." She turned on her heel, though the movement was hampered somewhat by the water they stood in, and strode to her horse. MoonRazor Can probably close this one up. Feels decidedly less GRR ARRGH angsty than I anticipated xD
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