Muse
Apprentice Scribe
I'm not a man to cross. I'm a Ranger.
Posts: 113
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Post by Muse on Nov 10, 2009 15:52:48 GMT -5
OOC: *Private (Gwen)
IC: Muse threw the small leather ball across the clearing and watched as his redish husky, Rye, ran after it, barking madly. Usually, he was very quiet, per his master's orders, but when they played ball, Muse couldn't get the husky to shut up. Rye scooped the ball up in his mouth and ran back to Muse, where he dropped his head to his paws, butt in the air, wagging his tail.
Just as Muse was about to wrestle the ball out of the dog's mouth when Rye suddenly dropped it and his ears perked up. He seemed to listen intently for a moment, then jumped up and ran to the southeast corner of the meadow. His tail was still wagging, but more slowly now, and his head was cocked to one side. Another moment passed, and he barked again, ran to Muse, and ran back to the fence. He knew whoever it was that was approaching, Muse realized. Possibly his apprentice was back from the mission he'd sent her on, bringing a message to the baron of Norgate Fief.
Looking over his shoulder at the stables, Muse saw that his horse, Eton, was looking in the same direction, but whether or not Eton knew who it was, Muse couldn't tell.
"Who is it, boy?" Muse asked, walking over to the husky, who had his head through the fence. Muse put a leg up on the fence and leaned on it, peering into the woods around his cottage. He could just see a shadowy figure approaching, mounted on horseback. It was clearly a Ranger, judging by the indistinct shape and the way the cloak blended in with the background.
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Gorim
Ward
Swooping is bad
Posts: 48
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Post by Gorim on Nov 12, 2009 9:14:31 GMT -5
Gwen rode quietly down the road, barely containing her excitement. She and her horse, Annie, both loved trying to sneak up on Muse, or in Annie's case, Eton. Neither ever succeeded, but the amount of time it took for the two to notice them had lengthened over the course of her months with Muse, which would soon add up to a year, and it was a fun little pastime.
Of course, Rye was the one who blew it. Gwen sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head and rolling her eyes to the heavens as the sound of the dog's barking drifted up to her.
"That dog," she said to Annie the same way a fond aunt would mutter, "That boy". Giving up the pretense of sneaking up on them, she raised her hand and waved cheerfully, grinning.
Norgate's springtime was markedly similar to its winter. Cold, cloudy and windy, only now, instead of snow, rain fell almost daily and made mudslides out of the dirt trails and swamps out of fields and ditches. Gwen didn't mind; she liked the rain, but Annie was less than pleased with the splashing and mess. Even now, Gwen's dapple-gray horse was distinctly bitter-looking and sullen as she tromped towards the cottage where Muse was playing fetch with Rye. Annie seemed to glare reproachfully down at the dog, and Gwen rapped her horse playfully with her knuckles.
"Don't be rude," she chided as she dismounted.
OOC: What did the message say? For the record. Or are we just winging it here?
I added some setting with the weather; that cool?
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Muse
Apprentice Scribe
I'm not a man to cross. I'm a Ranger.
Posts: 113
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Post by Muse on Nov 12, 2009 13:34:02 GMT -5
"Good boy," Muse said, scratching Rye behind the ears. With all the noise the dog made, barking, if he hadn't noticed Gwen, Muse might not have either, until she had reached the edge of the trees. Of course, that would have hurt him in their competition. The two always tried to sneak up on each other. So what if it was a bit childish for the master do sneak up on his apprentice? Muse didn't care, he did it anyway. And since unseen movement was his best skill, she didn't usually see him- at least not at the beginning. As her training progressed she would start to notice more and more often, but he still got the better of her sometimes.
Watching, Muse saw her lift a hand and wave, but the cowl of her cloak concealed the smile he was sure was there. "Annie misbehaving?" he joked as his apprentice dismounted. Rye ran over to Gwen and wagged his tail, mouth open and panting. He was too well-trained to jump on anyone but Muse, but he really liked Gwen. He liked most people, in fact, as most dogs do.
"Why don't we head inside?" Muse suggested. It was wet and cold outside, and it was almost dinner time. Of course, Muse couldn't cook very well, but Gwen could. But since he'd sent her alone to the baron for the first time, he had actually decided to make dinner that night. There was a warm beef stew and some freshly baked bread waiting for them. Okay, so he'd bought the bread at the local inn and heated it up a bit to keep it warm, but still.
OOC: Do whatever you want with the weather, it doesn't matter to me. As for the message, you can make something up if you want to. I just needed a reason to have you show up (instead of already being there) because I'd already written up a post before we decided on this arrangement, with Rye noticing someone in the woods.
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Gorim
Ward
Swooping is bad
Posts: 48
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Post by Gorim on Nov 12, 2009 13:55:37 GMT -5
"She probably just wanted to get the best of you," Gwen said mildly, scratching Rye behind the ears. "She hangs so much hope on each attempt." Annie huffed irritably.
"Sure. I'll just get Annie tucked in," the apprentice answered with a smile, patting Rye a final time and then leading Annie towards the stables.
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Muse
Apprentice Scribe
I'm not a man to cross. I'm a Ranger.
Posts: 113
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Post by Muse on Nov 12, 2009 14:56:24 GMT -5
"Good luck with that," Muse teased, and watched Gwen bring her horse to the stables, then snapped his fingers at Rye. The dog padded obediently after him into the cottage, and as the door closed, the two heard Eton nicker a greeting to Gwen and Annie.
Muse ladled some of the beef stew into a wooden bowl and placed it on the floor for Rye, near the dog's bed, and quickly set the table. He poured out some fresh milk into a bowl and put that next to Rye's bowl, then poured two cups for himself and Gwen.
The fire had died down a little bit while he had been outside with Rye, so Muse knelt to stoke it. It sucked to come home, damp and cold, to a dead fire, he knew.
The only sounds were the crackling of the fire, Rye lapping at his dinner, and the rain on the roof, which had started rather suddenly. There had been a bit of sun when Muse had played fetch with the dog, but now the clouds were ominously dark, and it was pouring. If he was going to do any more training with Gwen that day, it would be in the pouring rain, something that was never fun but occasionally necessary.
Gwen hadn't returned yet, so Muse hung up his cloak and grabbed a spare blanket from his room for her. Even in the short walk from the stable to the cottage, she would get a bit wet and cold, though hopefully the Ranger cloak would protect her from the worst of it. He put the blanket on the back of her chair, sat down in his, and waited. He never started dinner without her.
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Gorim
Ward
Swooping is bad
Posts: 48
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Post by Gorim on Nov 12, 2009 15:57:58 GMT -5
OOC: I'm gonna throw in Ector for the lulz, if that's okay. Read it and see, and if not, I can easily cut him out.
Gwen led Annie into the stables as Muse went into the house. Patting Eton gently, she rubbed Annie down quickly and was about to go in when she heard the sound of a horse. Tilting her head to the side and frowning, she waited for the thunder to stop rumbling, then listened. The sound of a horse, along with soft cursing, was barely audible over the sound of the rain.
She'd know that cursing anywhere. That was Ector. Glancing back at the cottage and deciding that Muse could wait a few more minutes, Gwen drew the hood of her cloak up securely, winked at the two Ranger horses snug and secure in their stables, and slipped out into the cold rain, towards the edge of the field and the road.
--
The rain was slamming into the young knight as he and his white horse powered miserably through the downpour. The knight wore the black and scarlet of the Pendragon house that was dominant in the Southern part of Norgate in the form of a clock that went over his armor, which was polished meticulously.
The horse stumbled slightly through the muddy, uneven road, and Ector wished he could urge the horse forward and streak through the rain and into Castle Norgate. Unfortunately, he knew that that could potentially injure his horse, and so he opted to put his horse before himself. If only a little.
Preoccupied as Ector was, what with the cold and wet of the whole blasted day, he didn't see a small, camouflaged figure sneak up behind him. He did, however, hear the very loud, "BOO!" Cursing thunderously, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
Altevo heard it too, and he reacted just as violently. Shrieking wildly, he reared, sending an unprepared Ector crashing into the mud. It was a testament to Altevo's training that he didn't run off. He saw the small, sheepish figure and, recognizing it, huffed in a very Annie-like way.
Well, why did you go and do that?
"Oops..." Gwen muttered sheepishly.
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Muse
Apprentice Scribe
I'm not a man to cross. I'm a Ranger.
Posts: 113
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Post by Muse on Nov 12, 2009 16:18:08 GMT -5
OOC: No problem.
IC: Muse waited a few more minutes, but Gwen hadn't come back yet, so he put the stew and bread back near the fire to continue warming and donned his cloak. She should have finished in the stables by now. "Rye, stay," he told the dog, noticing that he had stood up. Rye sank back to his stomach and continued to drink his milk.
The two horses were in the stable, but Gwen wasn't. Even though the mud was being washed away by they rain, he could make out faint footprints, and he followed them. She was alone, so that was good, but she seemed to have walked off for no apparent reason.
He followed the footsteps until he saw his apprentice and a knight he recognized as Sir Ector de Pendragon, a knight a few years younger than Muse himself. He slid into the shadows of a tree to watch events unfold. With the rain hitting the tree leaves, he couldn't hear anything, but suddenly Gwen jumped out and scared Ector. His horse reared up, and he fell backwards to the ground. Muse grinned, but kept silent and hidden.
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Gorim
Ward
Swooping is bad
Posts: 48
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Post by Gorim on Nov 13, 2009 10:37:04 GMT -5
"What is your problem?!" Ector thundered, sitting up and clutching the back of his blond head, wincing.
Gwen muttered, "I didn't think your horse would react like that..."
"Like what?" Ector snapped. "Like a horse? Yes, horses tend to do that!"
"You don't have to be so-" Gwen started in an argumentative tone, but then she stopped. "Ector, you're bleeding." Ector frowned and looked at the hand he'd had clamped on the back of his head. It came away stained with watery blood.
"Gwen," Ector sighed, exasperated. "What sorcery did you use to make my head break open on mud?" Gwen bristled at the sorcery comment; she didn't take kindly to the superstitious.
"Maybe your head's just that soft," she hissed. "Do you want some help or not?" Ector said nothing. "Good. Muse, could you help please?" She turned to her master and smiled a grin tight with barely controlled glee.
I see you, she mouthed. Ector, for his part, looked very, very confused.
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Muse
Apprentice Scribe
I'm not a man to cross. I'm a Ranger.
Posts: 113
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Post by Muse on Nov 13, 2009 17:01:46 GMT -5
Muse grinned at his apprentice and slipped out from behind the tree. She was getting better, much better, and he was proud of it. "Having a problem staying on your horse today, Ector?" he asked jokingly, helping the knight to his feet. "Or maybe it's just the mud. Horses don't like the mud and rain, you know," he continued, his voice still light. He grabbed the reins of the battle horse and handed them to Ector.
To Gwen, he said, "I made dinner tonight, there's plenty for the three of us if you'd like to invite your friend here to dine with us." Muse knew Sir Ector, but not particularly well. And he shared the house with Gwen, it was as much hers as his, for the past year and the next five, so he allowed her to occasionally invite her friends over. From what he'd seen of their encounter, Ector was one of these friends. He'd met knights who would chop off a lad's arm for startling them, let alone knocking them off their horse. Since Ector hadn't done that, Muse could see no harm in feeding him and sheltering him from the weather for a bit.
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Gorim
Ward
Swooping is bad
Posts: 48
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Post by Gorim on Nov 16, 2009 12:01:27 GMT -5
Altevo huffed in agreement with Muse, and Ector glared.
"Don't you start," he snarled out of the corner of his mouth. Then he turned to Muse. "As long as Gwen isn't planning any more surprises, I'd be honored."
"Oooh, changing your tune now that you know there's food," Gwen said sarcastically. Ector glared.
"Crawl into a bush and die," he said with feeling. "That would be fantastic."
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Muse
Apprentice Scribe
I'm not a man to cross. I'm a Ranger.
Posts: 113
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Post by Muse on Nov 22, 2009 20:19:54 GMT -5
"Hey hey hey, no need to threaten my apprentice," Muse said, his voice still light but with a slight edge. No Ranger overlooked a "suggestion" like that. "Now come on, let's go eat." He lead the way back towards their house. "You can put the horse in the stable with the others, there's space, even for a battle horse. Then come in the house, we've got beef stew, bread, and milk, all fresh. Warm you right up."
He turned and disappeared into the woods again, trusting that Gwen would lead her friend back to their house.
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Gorim
Ward
Swooping is bad
Posts: 48
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Post by Gorim on Nov 30, 2009 13:34:40 GMT -5
"Something tells me my joke wasn't a joke," Ector muttered. Gwen shrugged.
"You should be more careful. Come on; the house is this way." Ector followed the smaller woman meekly, his war horse close behind.
--
"Stop fussing with it," Gwen snapped, passing him food. "You'll only make it worse."
"But it itches," Ector whined, rubbing at the bandage secured on the back of his head.
"Yes, it's healing." Gwen said with finality. "Don't touch it."
"Can I rub it through the bandage?" The knight asked. "That's not really scratching."
"Ector, if you open that wound up, I'm not fixing it again." Gwen said firmly. "You can just treat it yourself. And if it festers, weeping bloody pus and burning like the flames of the king's pyre, don't come to me. All I'll say is, 'Ector, didn't I tell you not to touch it?'" Ector stared at her as she began eating, sitting next to her mentor, calm as can be.
"It wouldn't really fester, would it?" He asked no one in particular. Gwen looked up from her food.
"Why don't you try scratching and see?"
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Muse
Apprentice Scribe
I'm not a man to cross. I'm a Ranger.
Posts: 113
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Post by Muse on Dec 15, 2009 18:36:14 GMT -5
Muse watched the two bicker as he ate his stew. Rye had long since finished his food, while they were in the woods, and now stood next to his master with his head on Muse's leg. When he finished his stew, Muse put the spoon down and scratched the husky between the ears. "Leave it and it'll be fine. Touch it and it'll be worse, Ector," Muse said, before tearing off a hunk of bread with his teeth.
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Gorim
Ward
Swooping is bad
Posts: 48
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Post by Gorim on Dec 28, 2009 23:56:56 GMT -5
"I gathered that much," Ector muttered. Gwen smirked and started to take another sip of her stew when someone pounded on the front door. Gwen groaned as she got up and opened the door, revealing a tall, blond man several years older than Gwen and Ector, using a shield with the Norgate crest as an umbrella against the driving downpour.
"Guinevere!" He boomed, grinning a white grin. "Paragon of Beauty! Deny me no longer! Run away with me to Gallica where we'll eat cake and live in sin!" Gwen laughed.
"Alistair. A pleasant surprise. What brings you to our fine cottage?" The girl of color curtsied to the knight and waved him in out of the rain.
"Oh, you know me. I smelled cheese." The blond knight saluted Muse casually. "Sir Ranger. And I also figured I'd find Ector here. People are getting worried. I started to think he'd fallen off his horse and drowned in a puddle!"
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Muse
Apprentice Scribe
I'm not a man to cross. I'm a Ranger.
Posts: 113
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Post by Muse on Dec 29, 2009 0:22:31 GMT -5
Muse looked up, startled, at the knock on the door. Of course, to anyone who may have been watching him, he did not look the least bit startled. If they hadn't heard the knock, they would have assumed he was just letting his gaze wander to the door.
Gwen opened it, and Muse noted that the door's hinges creaked with rust. Good. A tip he had picked up from another Ranger, so that no one could enter the house without attracting Muse's notice. This person was another knight, using a shield as an umbrella. Must be one noisy umbrella.
Now, as the knight spoke, Muse raised an eyebrow at his words. "You can't be serious," he muttered to himself. How many friends of the girl's were going to show up today? Geez! And to think, most people were terrified of Rangers. "You'll never make a good Ranger, Gwen," Muse told her, gesturing to the two knights. "Too many friends." It was just a joke, but it was true that most Rangers' closest friends were other Rangers, not knights of the other sex. Then again, most Rangers and knights were male.
He nodded to the knight, whom he recognized as a man named Alistair. "He almost did. Now he won't stop picking at the wound from it."
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