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Post by Jax Nova on Jan 3, 2022 2:47:50 GMT
Duinn watched ride away for a handful of seconds, cursing himself under his breath for being so clumsy with his words. At least it didn’t seem to bother her. He smiled and sighed at himself as she looked back and called to him.
“My camp is this way!”
He nudged Holly into a trot, picking up the pace to catch up. As they trotted off towards the horizon the sun lined the curve of the earth with a thin, flaming, line of light. The light soon faded, and by the time they were nearing the camp they were riding by lantern.
“So,” Duinn spoke as he finally came up alongside Kestra. “Do you have a job lined up or a destination in mind for your next journey?”
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Post by Galadareth on Jan 3, 2022 3:21:43 GMT
Kestra slowed Aerin until they rode alongside each other as he caught up to her. “I don’t have a job, no. I was thinking about heading to Buckland in the morning and seeing if the hobbits there needed anything. I heard they were building a ferry in Buckleberry so they might need some help with that.” She smiled at him.
They were nearing her campsite. She left her bedroll out as it was off the road, hidden by some bushes in a clearing she had cleared out a while back. “This way.” She dismounted and began to lead Aerin by his reins. A narrow pathway led to the clearing where her bedroll, the charred and cold remains of her fire had been left. She tied Aerin to a tree and began to remove his saddle and saddlebags.
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Post by Jax Nova on Jan 4, 2022 3:53:45 GMT
A subtle smile teased at the corner of Duinn’s mouth. He’d never been the Buckland. “That sounds like a great idea.”
He soon dismounted and followed her through the narrow path. Once inside, it was a pleasantly secluded hideaway. He tied up Holly and unpacked his few belongings. He had little in the way of bedding. Just a leather skin for the ground and a single wool blanket. He used the extra clothes in his pack as a pillow. His 2 changes of clothes were just about perfect for that.
He lay his bedding across the fire-site from where Kestra’s was already set up.
“You say they’re building a ferry?”
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Post by Galadareth on Jan 4, 2022 5:35:35 GMT
Kestra plopped down beside the fire and began to work to light it again as he got set up on his side of the fire. It’s as summertime so the fire wasn’t as needed but the nights were still chilly. Soon, a fire crackled to life amid the shared remains of the wood. She would need to get more to replenish the fire before they fell asleep.
“Yes, a ferry. Just a little boat to take them from the Shire to Buckland without taking Brandywine Bridge. It would save them a long trip up river to the crossing. I don’t know why they didn’t do anything sooner.” She leaned into the fire and adjusted some logs which had yet caught fire. The wood popped and sparked up but Kestra didn’t back away.
That is until an ember popped from nowhere and landed on the bare skin of her arm. She jumped slightly and swept the ember away, gripping the burn mark on her arm and swearing, quite colorfully, under her breath.
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Post by Jax Nova on Jan 6, 2022 4:56:08 GMT
(Sorry for the late replies. Been a busycouple of weeks!)
Duinn mused. It almost made sense to him why they hadn’t done anything. They had a bridge, and time was just... time after all. That was the mentality he did sometimes mis about the simple country life he had left behind. He was excited for the next chapter of his life, though, and he felt like this was the beginning of that chapter — whatever it may be.
He was brought back from his internal pondering by a fit of muttering and cussing. He noted the burn on Kestra’s arm as she brushed the ember away. He quickly shuffled through his bag — not too quickly, but quickly.
“Here,” he offered scooting over beside her and pulling out a salve. “My Grandmother used to use this for burns and bruises. It works wonders.” He held out the waiting salve, not applying it to her arm until she indicated whether she might want it.
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Post by Galadareth on Jan 6, 2022 13:57:48 GMT
(No worries! It’s been a busy time for all. I hope your holidays went well and you are staying safe and healthy!)
Kestra wasn’t used to someone offering to help her right away but she didn’t mind it. Especially not from Duinn. Grateful, she scooted closer to him, unsure if she should apply the salve herself or let him do it. She wasn’t sure if there was a special trick to applying it. The burn wasn’t large but the skin was angry and turning a dark red color.
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Post by Jax Nova on Jan 7, 2022 2:50:46 GMT
(Thanks! Same to you! It’s all been decent here. Can’t Won’t complain too much. 🤪😆 How were your holidays? ) Duinn hesitated, but Kestra scooted closer. She didn’t reach out to apply the salve herself, so he took a small dab on his fingertip and carefully touched it to the wound.
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Post by Galadareth on Jan 7, 2022 3:46:32 GMT
(Ah ha! I'm in the same boat as you with plenty some to complain about. I've been battling a head cold for the last couple of weeks and I'm finally coming out of it which is good.) When he placed the salve on her arm, she didn't flinch. His touch was gentle, despite his hands being rough from his tenure as a woodsman. She didn't mind the feel of his hands. It was nice and she didn't want him to let go. She didn't want to leave his side from the fire. There was something comforting about his presence that she liked. She hesitated but scooted away back to where she had been by the fire. "Thank you," she said. She looked up at him, letting her gaze linger a bit. Sizing him up? Or just taking in his image. Having a companion was different than she thought. She liked it. (Feel free to bring in that person with the job for them at any time! They can do a little more bonding at the fire if you wanted to as well. I'm liking their chemistry so far. )
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Post by Jax Nova on Jan 7, 2022 4:38:39 GMT
(Eh, yuck! That went around here for a while. Not fun. At least it’s on the mend! ) Duinn applied the salve as tenderly as his nerves would allow. She never flinched, so he must have done alright. Or maybe she was just tough, she seemed that sort. Maybe it was both? He hoped it was, anyways. He shuffled his things back into his bag after she scooted away. When he looked up, her eyes had settled on him. They both seemed to let the moment linger — if only for a bit. Duinn’s mind was spinning as he silently cursed himself. “Say something... think of something to say.” His conversational language always did seem to abandon him just when he wanted it most. Before he could solve his internal conundrum a thin voice cut through the night air like a fine blade cutting glass. “Well, o there travelers,” the voice wisped. Duinn jumped, noticeably startled by the sudden intrusion. His eyes, having adjusted to the flame of the fire, strained to see anything in the black shroud beyond. He gripped his sword, though he didn’t imagine it would do him any good if he actually needed to use it. “Who’s there?” he hollered. “Now, now,” a second voice — a low gravely voice that spoke with a subtle whine — piped up. “You startled the young couple, can’t you see?” With that, the two strangers moved closer. As Duinn’s eyes adjusted he could make out a grouchy looking old woman — who he figured was probably much younger than she appeared — and a tall strong looking man of middle age. The woman was sturdy built with a deceptively strong frame that was entirely betrayed by her frail sounding voice. She wore a simple brown dress that looked as though it may have been hand-made out of gunny sacks. The man, in contrast, was a head taller, narrower in the hips and shoulders alike, and wore a fine outfit of leather. Black leather pants, a blue shirt with black leather vest over top, a long black leather trench coat with noticeably blue threading, and a matching broad brimmed hat. Also in contrast were their belongings. While the woman carried a twisted old walking stick and little else, the man wore dual short swords on his side, a knife on his boot, a bow and arrows on his back, and a small satchel. (Got a bit lengthy! Lol I better pause here and give Kestra a chance to respond)
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Post by Galadareth on Jan 8, 2022 6:56:54 GMT
Kestra nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice that cut through the quiet night. She snatched her sword from beside her bedroll and grabbed the knife strapped to her leg. She moved around the fire, placing herself almost between the strangers and Duinn, leaving him half uncovered. She would protect him if need be.
“Who are you? What do you want? This is our campsite.” Her voice was less than pleased, dropping any kind of cheery (if it had been there in the first place) and instead becoming gruff and irritable. She didn’t like strangers, much less those that appeared before she knew they were there. Using the hand with the dagger in it, she lightly touched Duinn’s arm, almost as if to find comfort in his presence and let him know…what? That she would protect him? Keep him safe? Take care of it? Maybe all of the above.
(I’m already liking it!)
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Post by Jax Nova on Jan 8, 2022 17:10:55 GMT
Duinn was taken aback by Kestra’s quick actions. Almost as taken aback as he had been about the strange visitors. He scolded himself a bit for not being more like her. He should have acted quicker, been more prepared. He didn’t — couldn’t— have the luxury of being trusting anymore. Not if they were going to be traveling middle earth as a pair of mercenaries. His internal pondering faded when Kestra’s touch brought him back to focus on the situation. He actually felt his nerves relax a bit at her gentle assurance. He gripped his sword tighter, though, and took a small step closer to Kestra. It wasn’t like he could protect her, she could do that herself better than he could. If it did come down to a fight, however, she wouldn’t be fighting alone.
“Oh good grief,” the old woman crowed, leaning on her staff and rubbing the wrinkles on her dark tanned face. In the fire light her green eyes could be seen peering out from beneath an intricate twisting of graying hair that sat atop her head in a heavy bun. She rolled her eyes and looked at Kestra. “Put down the knives blondie. We came for-“
The man sighed, jabbing the woman in the ribs to silence her. His pale, clean-shaven face forced away the look of frustration and he put on a halfway fake smile as he tried to finish the woman’s sentence in a more polite manner. “Help,” he said, giving the woman one last warning glance that suggested that he might have been the more congenial of the two but certainly not the underling.
“We came here for help,” the man continued, chewing on a short toothpick and shifting it from side to side in his mouth. “You two looked like a pair of mercenaries.” A sheen glinted in his eye and a calm, yet slightly devious, smile flashed over his face. “I’ve usually got people pegged darn close to straight. Am I wrong?”
(Good deal! Feel free to control either or both of the new characters whenever you want to. I don’t have any hard and fast plans for them, so if you want them to say or do anything, gp for it!)
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Post by Galadareth on Jan 9, 2022 6:53:52 GMT
Kestra was unable to hide her relief at Duinn’s accaeptancd of her touch. She was a little irritable at the old woman, tensing up as she called her “blonde” (which she didn’t like at all). Even as the man said they needed help, she neglected to drop her weapons. Too many years in the business of work and doing someone else’s dirty work led to a distrusting constitution.
When the man called them mercenaries, Kestra raised her chin, “Yes. With that, you would be right. With the right pay and the right reason, I would say that we were the mercenaries for you.” Kestra pursed her lips and adjusted the grip on her sword, keeping the point up and raised high.
(Sounds good! I’ll pop in when I feel like a good story potential. For now, I then I understand the angle here.)
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Post by Jax Nova on Jan 11, 2022 1:52:17 GMT
Duinn was more than happy to let Kestra do the bargaining. She, after all, had experience in this sort of thing. He kept his sword readied as well as the strange man continued his explanation.
“It’s not a hard task,” the man told her. “Just one that we can’t do ourselves on account that-”
“On account that slim here,” the old woman elbowed the man angrily. “Botched the job once.”
The man glared. “I did not-”
“Just tell ‘em the job.”
The man pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away from his frail-voiced companion. He looked back to Kestra. “This... fine woman... hired me to deliver a land deed to her son. She can’t deliver it herself-”
“Because they’ll kill me!” the woman piped up again. “It’s my son’s inheritance, you see... but these local bandits- they want it for themselves. My son has been away for a lot of years, so they don’t know his face. As long as they don’t know who he is, he’ll be safe. I couldn’t pay the land taxes, so I’ve been ordered by the constable to sell it all, unless it’s an inheritance. I have 90 days to pass on my son’s inheritance, or it sells with everything else I own! I hired this man to take the open deed to him, because if those bandits get it, all they have to do is sign their name and take it. I figured he could handle himself, but apparently he can’t!”
“I can!” the man finally snapped. “The bandits have a new leader. Her and I have had... previous dealings, you might say.” He bit down on the toothpick in his mouth as if trying to grit his teeth to help weather the pain of a bad memory. “Not of a friendly sort,” he continued. “If she were to see me, she’d try and have me killed on sight.”
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Post by Galadareth on Jan 11, 2022 19:59:58 GMT
Kestra’s eyebrows were knit together, still holding her sword up, and studying the interaction between the two. “What makes you think this woman won’t have us killed on the spot as well?” She had a lot of questions. How did they find her? Who are they? How much money do they pay?
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Post by Jax Nova on Jan 12, 2022 0:32:18 GMT
“She doesn’t know-”
The man was interrupted again as the woman’s frigid voice growled like a winter wind. “They don’t know you! Unless you bumble like this-” She stopped as the man glared down at her. “Anyways,” she continued in a less frantic tone. “They don’t know you, so you can get in and out with no problem. Just a simple delivery. Besides, it pays gold! By the looks of you two, you could use some of that.”
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