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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,296 Views)
Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Morcant sat at the table, counting out what little coins they had left. He had not gotten paid work yet, and it was getting increasingly difficult to pick pockets at the market. There were more Roman soldiers around now, and because of the weather most people kept inside unless they absolutely had to go for groceries. And he knew he'd be caught sooner or later: he'd never been much of a sneak thief. With a shake of his head, he scooped up the coins and poured them back in the little bag. He glanced over at Essylt, who was spinning the wool in such a serene way he didn't want to bother her with the fact that their funds would soon be lacking. It was no use to keep such things from her, so he opened his mouth to tell her how much they had left when there was a knock on the door. He shut his mouth again. Cuhelyn wasn't supposed to visit, was he?
'Who is it?' Morcant asked, on guard.
'A friend,' a hated voice said mildly through the door.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Her fingers slowed with the nod and froze at the sound of Rufus’ voice. She glanced at Morcant.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Go away,' Morcant said without even bothering to open, which Rufus found extremely rude. He crossed his arms and leaned with his shoulder against the wall next to the door.
'Are you sure you don't want to listen to what I've to say?' he asked in the same, mild tone as before.
'Pretty sure. Now bugger off.'
Well, really. The man was getting more of a bother with each day, it seemed. 'You'll be glad to hear that there's paid work for you at the caer.'
There was a silence, then the door opened and Morcant glared at him from inside. 'Explain,' he grunted. Before the man could protest, Rufus slipped past him and into the warmth of the house.
'Really, it's inconceivable to leave a friend out in this weather. Hello, Essylt,' he said.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Gods preserve her, the man was getting more confident with them by the day. She let her hands fall back from the spindle in her lap, but didn’t get up from her stool. Paid work, he had said. So he had been going up to the caer for her without taking her. She wanted to tell him to go away, like Morcant had done, but she knew very well that that he was a dangerous man to make into an enemy. ‘Good day.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'You're not a friend as far as I'm concerned,' Morcant said coolly and closed the door. That man was getting on his nerves, and he felt like taking the spindle from Essylt and ram it down the Roman's throat.
'There's no need to be so rude about it.' Rufus shook his cloak, sending waterdroplets flying. There was an expression on his face Morcant did not care for in the least.
'You were going to explain something.'
'Oh, that's right,' Rufus answered with a broad smile. 'I talked to lord Tudwrig, and I've arranged things with him to get you work as carpenter.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She could only look at him for a moment. Essylt was sure that he cared nothing for her friend. Why go through the trouble? It must be, as he said, to try and win her over. Slowly, she picked up the yarn and made the spindle spin.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'You've arranged things,' Morcant repeated flatly. When the man nodded in assent, he clenched his fists. He did not want anything to do with this Roman, and he certainly didn't need any outstanding debts with him. 'I don't want it.'
Rufus raised one of his eyebrows. 'It's not really something you can refuse,' he said. 'You need the money desperately, am I right?'
'That's none of your business.'
'Don't be so foolhardy, man,' Rufus said flatly. 'I'll tell you there are exactly two jobs left you might get the money you need for. If you don't want the one I just offered you, the only other thing you could do is come work for me directly.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘No!’ The word left her before she could secure her lips tight. Essylt looked from Rufus to Morcant. ‘What is this job you are offering him exactly, my lord?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Placing roofs, constructing new furniture and fixing the old, that sort of thing,' Rufus said off-handedly. 'Anything wood-related, really.' He'd slipped the offer of Morcant coming to work in his service in to make sure the man would take the job at the caer. The look he gave Rufus though, had daggers in it.
'I'll talk about it with Essylt,' he said shortly. 'Why don't you wait outside?'
'Oh, that won't do I'm afraid. This offer expires the minute I walk out of this door.' Morcant was a simple sort of man, and Rufus had no trouble reading the man's thoughts from his face. Rufus had the upper hand, and he knew it. 'And you can't afford that, can you?'
'I can take care of myself, Rufus.'
If Essylt hadn't been present, Rufus might have resorted to violence. 'Apparently, you can't. I'll have you know that it's only because of a promise I made to your protégée that my men haven't arrested you for stealing yet. Your skills in pick-pocketing are abysmal.' he said coolly. Rufus really despised amateurs. He had touched a nerve there, though, because the other man suddenly turned as red as a tomato.
'Get out of my house,' he growled.
Rufus gave a snort. 'You're expected at the caer tomorrow morning at first light. If you're not there, I will tell my men not to close their eyes next time you go out stealing.' He turned around with a swirl of his cloak and strode out of the little house.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She opened her mouth, but there came no sound at all. After the Roman left, she closed it again. The silence was thick, waving through the room like her homespun wool. At least the man kept his promise, she thought numbly. But what if this was sort of a trap to frame Morcant? She didn’t know how; as far as she knew, Rufus had very little evidence of either the brotherhood or the apparent stealing. Well, the moment he’d accuse him of something, she’d run straight to the caer and not leave until the chieftain took to the matter himself. There was still their own law and she knew enough of it to help the chieftain remember it.
Not sure if breaking the silence meant that it would shatter in sharp pieces to cut them, she cleared her throat. ‘I think you’d better take this one.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
There was a powerful urge to run after the man and throw him down on the ground, hitting him everywhere his fists could reach. It took Morcant a long time before he had himself under control again. There was a bitter taste in his mouth, and he turned around to face Essylt. 'Does seem like the only possibility, doesn't it?' And that was probably exactly what Rufus had wanted, which made him hate the man all the more. They needed the money, there was no doubt about that, but the fact that the Roman had arranged this all made him very uncomfortable indeed.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She sighed. He looked bitter. ‘Maybe it won’t be so bad. There’s still the chieftain and his wife, when she returns.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Maybe. If he's as ill as Rufus makes us believe, it may be hard to have a talk with him, though,' Morcant said and lowered himself on the chair. Before Rufus had invaded their home, he'd been impatiently waiting for the bread Essylt was baking to be done. Now, he had lost all appetite.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Essylt had nothing to say that would cheer him up, so she just moved to turn the flat loafs on the stone. ‘It’s better than stealing,’ she said softly.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'...Yes.' Her voice didn't betray whether or not she was mad, and he was glad for it. 'I don't know how he found that out,' he muttered. He may not be the world's best pick-pocket, but he'd made sure there were no Roman soldiers on patrol whenever he was stealing.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'You thought I didn't know?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Morcant opened his mouth to speak, but closed it without saying anything. He tapped his fingers on the table-top. 'I hoped you wouldn't,' he muttered eventually. 'I'm sorry.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'You're trying,' she said, gathering more warmth in her voice. 'For me. That means something too.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Despite everything, a smile appeared on his face. He got up, scratching his beard and looking at the fire. 'I'll keep on trying,' he told her. 'Is the bread done yet?' Tomorrow, he'd be at the caer to start on his work. He could deal with the rest later. If Rufus ever came to collect his debt, he would make sure to be ready for the man.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Yes.’ She lifted one of the loafs. It was still hot. Breaking it in two, she handed the larger half to Morcant. ‘You look better when you smile, you know.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'll do it more often, then.' After eating the bread as quickly as he could without burning his mouth - his appetite had returned quite suddenly -, Morcant turned in for the night.


The next morning, Rufus stood in the doorway of a house adjacent to the marketplace. Morcant would have to take that route to go to the caer, and he wanted to be very sure the man was going where he wanted him to go. He didn't have to wait for long; Essylt's simple bodyguard appeared from an adjoining street, crossing the square with long strides. The man didn't see Rufus. When he was well out of sight, he stepped out of the doorway and retraced Morcant's steps to his house.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Despite that promise, Essylt felt troubled by the grim look he wore when he left for the caer next morning. It was still early. Clouds hung in the sky like heavy tapestries and they were sure to be spilling rain, perhaps even hail. Angry gusts of wind were already circling their little dwelling. She did hope that Morcant wouldn’t have to work outside too much.
There was still enough flour from yesterday, so she had made new flat loafs of dough, stirring up the fire to bake them.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Because civility was what seperated the educated man from the common oaf, Rufus knocked on the door instead of simply throwing open the door and entering. He did wish Essylt would hurry up and let him in, since it was frightfully windy outside.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She stiffened. Had Morcant forgotten something? No, he would never knock. Perhaps it was Cuhelyn. She dearly hoped so, because it would be a long day on he own. Pulling her skirt straight, she made to open the door, already preparing a smile for the other man. Opening the door, she stared up into Marcus Lentulus’ face. ‘Oh,’ she said.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Probably not the one you were expecting,' he said silkily, 'but may I come in?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She straightened her face and silently stepped aside.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Unasked, he seated himself on one of the chairs, stretching his hands towards the flames. 'I hope I haven't inadvertently caused you discomfort last night,' he started when Essylt didn't speak. 'Your friend is quite the stubborn man.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Essylt followed him with her eyes, knowing that he wouldn’t leave if she asked him to. The wind tried to slip inside so she closed the door, even though it felt half like locking herself up and half like inviting him in their private space. ‘You went to the caer and arranged this.’ She didn’t know whether she should try to sound angry or accusing. ‘I said I would have come to do that myself.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Lord Tudwrig looked very ill when I spoke to him. His illness often makes him inaccessible for weeks on end. Concerning the way your friend attempts to make some money, I gathered he needed work as quick as he could, so I asked the chieftain when I had the chance. You have my pardon,' he said, nodding his head at her.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
He was absolutely right, of course. Even though it had been him who had threatened to arrest Morcant if he continued stealing, which in turn felt a little deceitful. Still, naturally it was not right to pick pockets for money. Essylt sank down on her own stool by the spindle. ‘So, why have you come?’
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