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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,306 Views)
Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Oh, I'm sorry,' Rufus said glibly when she looked at him, looking for all the world like a trapped deer. 'I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just passing by, I didn't realize anyone actually used this path.' Nothing in his face betrayed he'd heard her words, but he was definitely going to remember them. He had no idea who she had been talking to, and who this 'he' was, but catching a girl alone at night never failed him to get at least something he wanted - whether that was information or just a pleasant evening.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘I – we can’t talk.’ Her heart was thumping. Perhaps he had not overheard her at all. The owl was her secret and hers alone; only Morcant knew he was there, but that was different. And even Morcant had no inkling of Udd Wyll. ‘I’m sorry.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus sighed, adopting a hurt expression. 'If this is about your bodyguard, I am willing to take full responsibility for accidentally bumping into you like this.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘We’re behind our house,’ she said, sharper than usual. ‘I thought you’d be too cunning to make this an accident.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Like I said, I hadn't expected anyone to actually use this path,' he said in an unruffled sort of voice. 'But if you don't want to talk to me - well, then there is no reason for me to linger, is there?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘It’s not like that,’ she said. ‘I can’t talk to you, even if I wanted to.’ But she was glad he didn’t force her to hold him company.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. 'Fair enough. I will leave you, then. But you might want to give some thought to your right to live your own live. Goodbye, Essylt.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She bit on her thumb as he walked away. Her own life? Essylt wasn’t sure that such a thing should include the overwhelming presence of Marcus Lentulus. His words stung her nonetheless. Morcant was helping her, but wasn’t he keeping her confined as well? Why couldn’t he have told her about Cuhelyn? She didn’t need to know everything about the brotherhood, but he was aware that she and Cuhelyn were friends, as far as that went. Was it jealousy? A deep suspect?
And I must make my own choices, she thought, Udd Wyll’s words ringing in her head. That included speaking, or involving herself with Rufus - or not.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus slipped past the little house and looked up and down the street. There was no one in sight, which was just as well. Inside, the male voices were still speaking. He could hear them quite clearly. One of them sounded familiar - Morcant, no doubt. But the other voice was not one he'd heard before at all. Because pressing his ear to the door would be just a little too obvious, Rufus took up on studying the bench before the house. He knew for a fact that Essylt's protector had come to the caer to ask for work, and if he was caught he could always pretend he was going to offer the man a job as carpenter.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She waited with her back leaning against the wall, though she was getting increasingly colder. Essylt looked down. Goose-bumps on her arms. She looked frozen. Wrapping her arms around herself, she walked to the front. No matter if the men were still discussing matters that Morcant did not want her to hear, she needed her cloak. But as she lifted her eyes, she caught sight of Rufus. He was looking at the bench with a mild interest. She was rather sure that he could hear Morcant and Cuhelyn speaking. ‘What – what are you doing?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I am looking at this bench,' he said without looking up. He had not expected to be caught this early, and it was a tad bit annoying. At least he had heard the name Rhywallon being mentioned, and something about men being stationed around the Vale. Rufus touched the wood lightly, then turned around and smiled at Essylt. 'Last time I noticed that it was a fairly substantial sort of bench. There might be a couple of people I know interested in sturdy work like this.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘I don’t know what that means,’ she said, drawing closer. She could really not allow him to overhear the conversation inside; it would endanger the brotherhood, but to hell with the brotherhood! It would especially harm Morcant, who had already stood up against Rufus. Essylt bit on her lower lip, then placed herself between him and the bench. ‘Would you take a short walk with me?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I thought you could not talk to me, even if you wanted to?' he said, his eyebrows raised. But this proved that whatever was being discussed inside, he was not supposed to hear it. And Essylt knew of it. How interesting.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Then perhaps you should tone down,’ she muttered. Morcant must not hear the man’s voice now, or he would probably attempt to kill him, together with Cuhelyn. ‘I’m not supposed to, that’s true. But what you just said…that’s also true, I think.’ Glancing at the door, she hoped that the conference would end soon.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'If you wish it so,' he smiled and made a half-turn, facing the empty street before them. He would like to know who the other man inside was - it was perhaps possible to find out by talking to Essylt, if he was careful about it. 'You won't hear me complaining,' Rufus added cheerfully.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
And neither he hear, she thought as they steered away from the house. Still rubbing her arms gently, she made sure that they were well out of reach until she continued. ‘You said I could ask things of you. Anything at all.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Yes,' he nodded. 'Was there something you wanted to ask of me?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘There is,’ she said and looked gravely up at him. ‘My protector’s…he’s….hot headed. I would hate to see him run into troubles because he accidentally got on the wrong side of some influential people such a yourself.’ Morcant might slap her in the face for this, but if he had been listening for a while, and she thought he might, she must attempt to stop Rufus from doing whatever he would do with men from the brotherhood.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Hot-headed was quite the understatement. Rufus rubbed his cheek with a thoughtful expression on his face. If Essylt was asking what he thought she was asking, it had the possibility of becoming a bit of a bother. 'Exactly what do you want from me?' he asked.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She had to find a moment of courage. ‘To leave him perfectly alone.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Hm. You have to understand that I cannot have men challenge my authority at a whim, no matter how hot-headed,' he started. 'But because you seem to care for him enough to ask this of me - and only because of that, mind you -, I will leave him alone.' She didn't need to know that politicians had the habit of saying one thing and doing the other.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She made no remark to his hints of challenging authority. She was too relieved to complicate matters further anyway. ‘Thank you. Um…’ This was, she guessed, the hardest part. ‘I didn’t assume it would come without a bargain.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Ah, a bargain. There were so many things he could ask but in view of what he had just overheard there was one particular thing he needed. 'This favour of yours is so small it hardly asks for something in return, but there is one thing,' he started, 'I should like it if you were truthful with me.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Her heart beat danger in her chest. She was absolutely sure that her request was not a small one; indeed, for a man such as he, there were probably many layers of shadows, of half-promises and personal desires that he had to take into account. This favour in return was no small demand either. Could she lie and say yes while meaning no? She was mildly shocked that she considered lying so hard; hadn’t she told Gwyddien that telling untruths to her father was the last thing she ever desired to do? Well, this was different. She should play it more like Rufus. That he was an experienced politician and she only a runaway noble’s daughter made the thought more terrifying. ‘Very well.’ She moistened her lips so he wouldn’t see how hard she had been biting on them just before. ‘I will be truthful with you.’
She regretted now that she had not offered the subject of the exchange herself. A kiss, perhaps.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus smiled. 'That's settled, then.' She must know what his request meant, but that was all the better. There was a thin line between honesty because of friendship and being honest out of fear, and in this case the latter was probably the most advantageous. He had to found out the significance of what had been discussed inside as soon as he could. 'So, have your staunch protector and you made friends here, yet? Neighbours you talk to, people who come visit every once in a while?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Her tongue already formed the first shapes of an answer: yes, there are some people we talk to. You heard them just now. It was hard to swallow those words back. With more difficultly, she answered: ‘It was my own wish that we’d attract as little attention as possible. My friend honours this. So no. Unless you count the occasional greetings.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'It sounds terribly lonely,' he remarked with a look at Essylt. 'Surely you don't intend to go on like this forever?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘I…’ This was not quite what she had expected to follow, but it was easier to stick to the truth. ‘I have not given it much thought. It seems to me that thinking about that makes it easier for my heart to break.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Ah, I apologize to have brought it up, then. You must have had many friends before your life got thrown off course like this.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She thought of her sister. She had been the only friend she had allowed into her deepest parts. ‘Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.’
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