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 Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:21 am
She'd seen him there often and had heard the rumors floating about this vast city, from tavern to brothel to street corner. Though the stories varied in intensity and who started what, they all tended to end the same way: this Edgar had knocked some bloody sense into the fool gaelic woman that had thought she could get away with treason. And for that, Katrana Prestor would buy him a drink. Grosvenor shifted beneath her, eyeing the brown buck as he sparred with his chosen. She got a sense of boredom from her own buck, as if he'd already dismissed the pair from his mind. Grosvenor tended to be like that. Nothing much captured his interest except hunting and she fingered the silky wolf tails about the buck's neck. "Now, now, love. They fight well against each other." The black and white buck turned his head enough to stare at her with one piercingly yellow eye, as if to say, 'So what? How well do they fight together?' Chuckling, she thumped his neck with one hand as she straightened the half-mask covering the right side of her face with the other. Flicking an ear, the buck strode towards the pair.
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 8:52 am
That his fight with Soibhan would spark all sorts of talk, especially in this area, was a consequence that Edgar had not anticipated. Neither was beating her something he had counted on. What he had seen from her before told him that she was likely a better fighter, albeit much less disciplined. But Edgar was less predictable when it came to the pain he would or would not put himself through, which he supposed had combined with the discipline to even the tables and tip them however slightly in his direction. He didn't doubt that the outcome of the duel rested largely on the fact that it had been a good day for him, but the rumors and the gossip didn't care. The word has spread like wildfire, apparently, and he had found himself on the receiving end of a good deal more careful looks, both friendly and hostile.
He wasn't sure how well the situation would play out in the end. How many of these people were aware of his nobility? How much was that playing into the rapidly spreading gossip? In these parts of Palisade, Edgar didn't worry that a fellow nobleman would find or identify him, but would that remain the case if word got out? Would it? Edgar knew the chances of commonfolk gossip reaching the upper echelons of society were slim, but he could never discount the fact that there was such a chance.
Company. The thought was sent to him in the form of an image, capturing a stern-looking black buck and his masked rider. Edgar parried one more jab from Dardanos' antlers before both of them stopped and straightened up, and Edgar pried the blunt sword out of his sword hand's grip. The muscles in his forearms were still stiff from the fight, and his shoulder and elbow were still working back into proper function from when Soibhan had wrenched his arm behind his back, but he could tell that if he put off training, the lack of motion would drive him insane. He had taken it relatively easy for several days, and good sense dictated that he refrain from doing too much until he could bend his elbow properly again.
Anybody we know? Dardanos answered in the negative. They had seen the approaching pair before, and Edgar soon recognized the woman's masked face and the distinctive wolf tails that hung around the buck's neck, but they had yet to introduce themselves or even find out what the pair did in these parts. Apparently, that was slated to change.
"Good day," he greeted the pair, massaging the taut muscle in his arm to prevent a cramp that threatened to come on. He was a little cautious, if for no other reason than that he couldn't see her face and wondered whether it was important to know what she was hiding, but also more than a little intrigued.
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 9:24 am
That he favored one arm over the other didn't escape her notice. She gave him a fleeting smile, though it looked more like a cold smirk with half of the gesture hidden by the cold, porcelain mask. "Good day," the woman answered back, her voice a little rough, a little older. Grosvenor snorted a greeting, but he didn't show much interest in interacting, except to eye Dardanos with an appraising gaze. She got a sense of stern approval from the wolf hunter, but it was nothing he overtly showed. Waving a hand to encompass the courtyard, Katrana said, "You're here often. I've been away from Palisade so long that I hadn't known the Swan catered to Wardens now." Someone with a little more humor than she possessed would have made a joke about how much time he spent at the Swan as a brothel, but she knew he didn't come here for that. "Why do you train alone?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 10:50 am
Dardanos eyed the black buck in return, sensing the air of unaffected detachment. The buck was not quick to trust, especially not around here when they were training at a place that hosted a borderline treasonous band of fighters, but there was a moment of shared approval between the two Guardians that Edgar felt as a sudden nod of sorts, laced with finality.
"It hasn't been too long since the... group began to train here," he said, assuming she would understand if she was in the know, and if she didn't then it made little difference. But someone who spent enough time around the Swan to recognize him didn't strike him as the type that would create any real, legal issues for the Fellowship.
"Ah," he said, in response to training alone. A wry half-smile ghosted across his face as his gaze dropped briefly to the blunt sword. "Well, I may have done... something. I've been trying to keep my head down for a few days. Half of these people may think me out of line, the other half may think me a smart man. I don't yet know how many of each, but if it is more the former than the latter, then perhaps I'm not such a smart man after all." Of course, these were hardly things that had crossed his mind when Soibhan had challenged him to the duel, but his years living where he did ought to have prepared him with the knowledge that nothing was ever just about the people involved.
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 4:40 pm
"You're smarter than the lot of them, I'm sure." She slid from Gros' back with practiced ease, her boots thumping smartly on the hard-packed dirt of the courtyard. Lifting the saddlebags from the buck's back, the woman let them fall to the ground at her feet before extending her hand. "My name is Katrana Prestor. This is Grosvenor." She paused, letting the black and white buck dip his head slightly in acknowledgement. "And I would like to buy you a drink for knocking that fool Gaels woman on her a**." In all her travels, Katrana had met her fair share of people. From the lowliest stretch urchin, to the snottiest noble, and all of the various rabble between. It was from that rabble that she'd first heard of the 'Fellowship', as it was so comically referred to. She hoped it was a name picked up through the rumour mill, but something told her it wasn't. Either way, this little ragtag group of Wardens was well-known throughout the shadier parts of the various countries she'd roamed, though many of those countries didn't care about Sunderland's issues. Seeing as this was her homeland, however, she did care, and hearing about this upstart wild woman leading honest men and women into treasonous acts was something that didn't sit quite right.
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:01 pm
Edgar regarded her with interest as she slid from her Guardian's back. This was a woman who knew what she was doing, he could tell, no matter what she decided to put herself to. There was a no-nonsense air about her, and she was more to the point than most people he had met. "There are many who would disagree, but I thank you," he said finally. His intention had never been to flaunt his victory, but neither would his upbringing allow him to decline the compliment. It occurred to him to mention that he had mostly been lucky that day, but Katrana Prestor did not strike Edgar as the sort who would care.
"Edgar Ashworth. Dardanos," he said, clasping her hand in greeting. A few years ago, the idea of shaking a woman's hand would have struck him as odd, but he had learned much and more since his Choosing. He almost preferred being here now, in the parts of the city where social norms were disregarded as often as they were followed. It sat better with him than the highly formalized rituals of the upper class, and the people were better company.
"I would say I deserve no such praise, but I do enjoy the idea of a drink," he added. He couldn't help but wonder what Soibhan had done to give Katrana such low opinion of her, but Edgar suspected that it was information he would discover soon enough.
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Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:18 am
"Ashworth," she repeated slowly, as if tasting the name on her tongue. Then, almost offhandedly, she said, "The name rings a bell . . . " Her blue eyes went distant for a moment, but the woman quickly came back to herself and smiled; the gesture was not as endearing as it could have been, given that half of it remained concealed behind the white mask. It gave her an eerie, lopsided look. "I've not been in Sunderland long, and not for years before the Masque. Would you take me to your favorite drinking place? It'll be nice to walk the streets of this city again without hurry." Palisade had been her favorite place as a child, aside from her beloved estate. The massive city had been a wonder to her younger self, filled with so many different people. Her father had frequently taken her with him whenever he'd run his errands and she'd seen a good chunk of the place from the back of a horse, nestled against her father's chest. It felt good to be back, even as the lingering pain sat there, below the surface. Even after all these years, the pain was acute, though much more manageable with Grosvenor at her side. "Unless you want to partake at the Swan," she added teasingly.
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Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:55 am
Edgar hesitated momentarily, regarding Katrana with caution. The name rang a bell? He felt a sudden curiosity. The name of Ashworth was hardly well-known, so he took her recognition, vague as it may be, to mean that Katrana had some sort of connection to the upper class. It didn't occur to him to ask - he had his own secrets, and he was happy to leave Katrana to hers. The mask alone spoke volumes about her attitude toward secrets, and she was entitled to them after all.
He shot her a sideways glance at the suggestion of the Swan, and had to crack a smile in return. "I believe I would have to be more than a little inebriated before I could consider the Swan an option."
Luckily for them both, there were plenty of other options. "There is a place I quite enjoy, two streets over from here," he suggested. It was a quaint little place kept by a well-meaning family that seemed to attract decent company.
"If you don't mind my asking, Miss Prestor, did you return for the Masque?"
[quote="Ashtiel Arykosa"
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Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 9:45 am
"Ah, yes," she chuckled, "most feel the same when it comes to such places as the Swan." Grabbing the saddlebags, she began striding towards the establishment anyway. "If you'll give me a moment! I'd rather change out of these dirty leathers." She was gone a much shorter time than expected and when she stepped back out into the courtyard, it was as if another woman had taken Katrana's place. Where before her hair had been done up in a tight braid, it now hung loose about her shoulders like a thick black mane, though it looked much softer. A richly blue dress adorned her strong, lean frame, the edges just brushing the ground. It was a practical garment, not overly fancy, but with a quiet elegance either way. Presumably, the leathers had been tucked into the saddlebags, as one of them now looked much more bulky than it had before. Though the mask still covered her face, the side that was visible seemed a little less dirt smeared than before. "Much better. And to answer your question," she started as she reattached the saddlebags to the patient buck, "I did return for the Masque. Even out of the country, the Queen's rooks still managed to find me. Curiosity more than anything brought me back." It was a lie, but a small one. The chance at revenge had truly brought her back, but it had been heavily laced with curiosity. Seeing the wolf prince had unleashed every fury inside of her, but she had been unable to act. Even the mere thought of that night and her inability to do anything still infuriated her if she let it. Grosvenor shifted his weight, stamping a hoof into the hard packed dirt. He didn't like it when she dwelled one her anger, especially if he had no way of avenging it himself. She smiled and patted his neck. "Did you attend the Masque, Mr. Ashworth? We can continue our chat as we walk to your establishment."
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:34 pm
"Of course," he said graciously, becoming suddenly very aware of the fact that he had nothing more proper to change into. Company did not often find him when he was training in the Swan's yard. Edgar did what he could to straighten his clothes and his hair while Katrana was gone, and received a mildly approving look from Dardanos. You are right, it was the least I could do, he conceded as she reappeared.
My, if she doesn't look different, Edgar mused, taking in the changes in Katrana's appearance. Had it not been for the mask, he might have overlooked her as somebody else entirely. There was a certain grace and propriety about her that made him feel obliged to offer his arm as they walked, but he kept it to himself, knowing it wasn't his place to make any such assumptions.
"Was it curiosity about the Wolves or the Queen's plans for us moving forward?" He asked, returning his focus to the topic at hand. "I myself did not attend, much as the prospect of learning more about the Wolves beckoned." Part of it had been outright rebellion, and another part played more into his deep-seated lack of faith in Sunderland's monarchy. How had the Queen proven herself worthy of a nation, after all, other than showing she had been born in the right place, under the right circumstances years ago? Edgar did not like the idea or giving her additional power in the form of countless Wardens and hedge witches waiting at her beck and call.
He took her suggestion and began to walk. Dardanos fell into step behind him, occasionally nosing at his rumpled clothing. "I suppose there are others who feel the same way as I, although... in a more extreme way, I suppose," he said after a moment's pause, thinking about the splinter cell. Edgar had always been skeptical about the Queen's potential as the leader of their nation, but at least he had never done anything quite as outrageous as form an underground faction.
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Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 12:18 pm
"Both," she said carefully, having enjoyed his look of surprise at her change of attire. As they began to walk, she clasped her hands before her, hiding them in her bell sleeves. Any knowledge she could have gained about the monster wolves had been her true reason for returning. If not for Grosvenor's intervention, she would have attacked Gwyn herself with nothing but the poor wine glass she'd snapped upon his revelation. Sensing that she was about to swing into a very uncompanionable mood, her guardian head-butted her from behind, gently, but enough to make her stumble a bit. It jarred her from her mindset and her lips turned up into a wry smile. "Speaking of extremism. It is that exact thing that first gave me clue of this Soibhan woman." Distant darkened her eyes. "Is it true that this fool foreign girl has created a group of Wardens all her own?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 10:09 pm
Edgar nodded. His interest lay predominantly in what the Queen had in store for them all, and what she could or could not potentially do in the face of the threat of Wolves. The creatures, no doubt terrifying, would reveal themselves sooner or later and Edgar wanted to know what lines of defense were in place. What exactly they would have to face was a concern, but more worrisome were the circumstances in which he might have to face them.
"Ah, well," he said, wondering how much caution he ought to exercise. Soibhan's splinter cell was something that could easily get everyone involved in serious trouble if news of it was to fall into the wrong hands. Could Katrana be trusted to simply judge and not bring the matter before the authorities? "She has certainly taken on more than she can handle," he said a little evasively, wondering how much she already knew. Surely most people who frequented The Swan had some inkling of what was happening out in the yard.
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:13 am
Katrana made a knowing sound, glancing askance at the man. She knew evasiveness when she heard it. "I can assure you, I won't go so far as to out anyone. I'm not so enamored by the Queen that I would get innocents killed in her name. What I have a problem with is that an unchosen foreign girl is trying to lead a group of people into a war she has no part in. She's hardly an adult, let alone a military general." Grosvenor snorted his agreement and Katrana reached out to pat his neck. Palisade was as busy as usual and she reveled in the sounds of a city filled with life. Though a few of the folk they passed gave her odd mask a wary gaze, she ignored them as if they weren't even there to begin with. "I've missed this city," she said quietly, her smile wide as she peered around at everything. "It has a certain...charm....all its own."
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Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:20 pm
Edgar studied her for a moment and decided that she spoke with a certain conviction that said she wasn't lying. And her concerns were certainly valid. The beginnings of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "A woman after my own heart," he said of Katrana, nodding. "She is no military general, I can tell you that. A girl who fancies herself a leader but has none of the qualities required for it." Edgar wasn't too concerned about the fact that she was foreign, although it certainly did not win her any points. His chief concerns lay with the blatant flaws in her character that rendered her, in his opinion, entirely unsuited for leadership and with the fact that she was not Chosen, both of which meant that she had yet to prove herself worthy of his respect
"She will only bring trouble behind her," he added as they wound through the streets, passing others and being passed in return. "She is reckless. She thinks anything will go her way if she is loud enough or angry enough or bold enough, and she does not think. She does not strategize or take the time to understand her opponent. Everything is a mad charge to her." Indeed, failing to understand him had been Soibhan's downfall in their little duel. She had overestimated the effectiveness of her hold on him - or perhaps had underestimated his desire to escape that hold. Not that she wasn't a good fighter, but then again Edgar had never doubted she was. "She thinks this is Gaels, but Sunderland is no country of clansmen willing to run after her if she but charges loudly enough."
He could go on. But he stopped to allow himself to look around as well, and there was a certain agreement on his face when he next spoke. "Parts of it, certainly." The way he seemed to shrug at the streets around him suggested that it was parts like these that he was referring to, and not the manicured estates he had grown up around.
"And here we are," Edgar added, stopping before a wooden sign that read Tasmily Tavern. The place was quiet this time of day, which seemed perfect for his present company.
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Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 7:35 am
She gave him a pleased smile at his comment, but when he continued on and brought to light some of Soibhan's seemingly worst attributes, her expression grew thoughtful. "Seems I've found someone that dislikes this woman even more than I do," she said as she stepped inside the Tasmily. It was a lovely little tavern, nice and clean, with a quiet atmosphere. This was no rowdy bar and for that she was grateful. What truly set the mood was the soft violin music that drifted through the air. Katrana traced the sounds to its source, finding a figure sitting in the corner with the hood of a cloak drawn so low it covered the face of the musician. Though the figure's clothing --old trousers, leather jerkin and plain long sleeved undershirt beneath a thick traveling cloak-- was somewhat dirty and disheveled, she could forgive it given the beautiful music he played. "Wonderful place. Good choice, Mister Ashworth," she said, swishing the heavy skirt of her dress around so that she wouldn't catch it with her boots as she sat at a table. Grosvenor tentatively stepped inside, peering around for a space large enough for him to lay. She moved a chair aside to give him room and he settled beside her with a sigh. The thought that the owner of the establishment might protest didn't even cross her mind. "I trust the food and drinks are as pleasant?"
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