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Post by Cutebabys on Oct 10, 2009 21:44:53 GMT -5
Dagbert rolled his eyes. "If you want me to do it, get on with it already!" he snapped, a bit too rudely, he later realized. He sighed. "Just give it to me, I don't mind going. After all, you didn't go through all that trouble persuading me for nothing, did you?" he asked, this time more polite. He put his hand out for the letters. "Rick might not be coming back for a while, you don't want to have to wait for him, or for anyone else, it'd take too long."
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 12, 2009 12:31:18 GMT -5
Ash relinquished the letters, a sheepish smile on his face. "I do thank you for this. If there is anything you need from the monastery or perhaps anything delivered to Greenfield Fief or one of the others on the way, please let me know." Ash wished he could pay for the service. "I cannot pay you with coin, but perhaps one day I can return the favor."
He held out his hand, "I'd best be on my way. Thanks, again!"
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Post by lordchaos on Oct 12, 2009 15:20:38 GMT -5
"Just give him the letters!" Chaos growled, growing irritated at this exchange. "Dag said he'd do it, so we're going to. End of discussion." He knew he was coming off as cold again, but hey, once a wolf, always a wolf.
"I'll go change Dag." He muttered, turning around to go back into his room. He paused, throwing a glance at Ash, this time, his expression softening a little.
"We'll get them there. I promise."
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Post by Cutebabys on Oct 12, 2009 23:51:35 GMT -5
Dagbert hid a smile. This time it wasn't himself who got impatient. It was Chaos. Both of them were impatient and had many similar character traits.
"All right," he said when Chaos said he'd go change. Dagbert was still in his ranger cloak and has no need to change. "I'll wait outside," Dag said. He nodded at Ash before walking out.
He saddled the horses, both, and waited for Chaos to come out.
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 13, 2009 9:43:11 GMT -5
Ash followed Dagbert outside, after giving Chaos a rather dubious smile and ignoring his general rudeness. Heaven knew Ash himself tended to be quite rude to people often enough. He did find the lad very interesting and almost wished he would be travelling with them to get to know them better. Almost. He had other work to do however.
He stepped down off the porch and jostled his snow owl, sleeping with her head tucked under her wing on his shoulder, half concealed by his long blond hair. Snowy cheaped indignantly and glared at him with one eye. "Sorry Snowy, go back to sleep." He stroked her neck feathers as she resettled herself and dozed off again."
Ash started to walk off and remembered he hadn't told Dagbert who his sisters were or where to find them, so he turned back to the ranger as the man was saddling their horses. "I sure appreciate this. My sister's names are Arielle and Anyia. They are staying on the Compton farm about half a day ride due west of Redmont Castle. Just give the letter for Padora's mother to Farmer Compton. He will likely have another coming back and he will see that Brother Padora's mother gets her letter."
He started walking back down the road into Araluen to purchase some supplies for his long trek to Greenfield Fief. Ash figured it would take him at least 5 days walking to get there, probably more like 7 if he ran into any storms up in the highlands as he was likely to do. Maybe he had enough money to rent a mule or something, he thought as he walked toward the center of the city, looking for a particular shop.
(OOC: Ash is going on to Greenfield, but I will play Farmer Compton and his sisters for you guys. Feel free to create any 'drama' you wish along the road - as in if you want to be attacked by brigands or something - or not. Up to you. I have a plot in mind for when you reach Redmond... heh heh heh)
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Post by lordchaos on Oct 14, 2009 15:18:12 GMT -5
Chaos lazily lolled his head as he rode quietly in his saddle next to Dag. It was these types of situations that the black haired teen enjoyed the most: spending as much time on the rode with his mentor as possible...save for his running with the pack, but he hadn't had an urge to do so for many, many years.
He paused, narrowing his eyes, reckognizing the sound of additional hoofbeats faintly behind them. He pointedly stared his mentor in the eyes as if to tell him that he knew about their little stalker.
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Post by Cutebabys on Oct 15, 2009 10:02:48 GMT -5
Dagbert rode the horse in silence with Chaos. For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the horses' hooves. His hair hung down his face, covering his eye. Click, clack... went the hooves of the horses.
Dag pricked his ears up. There was something else. He didn't say anything, but his eyes swiveled to look at Chaos. His reaction was a bit slower, but it was clear that Chaos realized it too. He jerked his head, a quick, fast motion. The stalker might have noticed, but again, he might have not.
[OOC: Who do you want the "stalker" to be? We RP the person or get someone in here?]
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 15, 2009 11:32:19 GMT -5
(OOC: I say it is Chaos' call, since he brought it up! Grin! I can RP it if you want me to - or one of you can. Just let me know if you want to decide who it is, or want me to make something up.)
Ash hurried on into the city and found a shop that sold travel packaged food. He bought enough for two weeks, even though he didn't think he would be gone that long. He slung the new bag of food over his shoulder and then trudged down toward the river side of the city.
This part of Araluen was not so respectable, yet the streets seemed strangely empty. Ash realized it must be because nearly every ship affiliated with Araluen was likely on it's way to Gallica with the Royal Army. Instead of laughter or fighting coming from the inns and taverns along the wharf, there was mostly silence. It almost seemed to be a ghost town.
Ash found a barrel leaning up against a warehouse where he could watch people coming and going from three directions, as well as see the docks. He sat there for a few hours, nibbling at some food as he studied the few people that were on the streets.
He had just about given up hope of seeing the person he was looking for when he spotted the skinny, lanky man come around a corner and slip into the man's favorite tavern, The Brass Bull.
Ash slowly surveyed the area and noted that no one was in sight to pay the slightest attention to him. He slipped inside the warehouse and swiftly changed clothing. When he emerged, his white priest robes were bundled up in his satchel and he wore very dark blue trousers, shirt and over tunic. Strapped to his back was a katana and at his waist was a long dagger. He wore midnight blue leather boots that laced up to his knees and his cloak was midnight blue with a white lining. He displayed the pendant of his family crest on a necklace hung around his neck, the gold and sapphires sparkling in the mid-day sun as he approached the Inn. He no longer resembled a priest, but looked the part of a young nobleman who was on a mission.
He opened the door and entered the tavern, stopping in the doorway with it open to let his eyes adjust to the darkness within, leaving him a silhouette to the observers inside. When he could make out the faces of those few patrons, he glanced quickly around the room and his eyes settled on his target. The man was sulking over an ale in the far corner, near the huge fireplace that currently was cold.
Ash stepped up to the bar, glancing with distaste at the filthy glass mugs stacked on shelves behind the barkeep. "one ale." he said in a low, raspy voice. "Make sure it is a clean glass." Ash watched as the barkeep took a mug, rinsed it with some water, tossing the excess on the floor and then wiped it down with a fairly clean towel. He filled it with slightly cool ale and handed the mug to Ash. "4 coppers."
Ash tasted the ale. It was a bit sour and too warm. He tossed 3 coppers on the counter and gave the barkeep a challenging look. The barkeep glared at him for a moment, but saw something in the priests eyes that made him back down. He slowly reached out and swept up the coins and pocketed them, nodding at Ash.
Ash turned around and made his way to the table in the corner and stood looming over the skinny man, not saying a word. The man looked up and his eyes widened in recognition. He glanced furtively around the room, then motioned for Ash to take a chair. "Ashton." His voice was thin and reedy, like the rest of him. He was nothing but bones and muscles with the skin stretched tightly overall and a steely look in his eye.
"Cyrus." Ash sat down next to him and tossed his long blond hair back over his shoulder without disturbing Snowy again, glancing around the room as well. He stared down a mercenary that seemed to be interested until the man turned his attention back to his friends at a table near the door.
"You shouldn't have come." Cyrus said, glancing at Ash out of the corner of his eye. "It could have been a trap."
Ash laughed. It was a cold laugh and didn't reach his eyes. "I was expecting one. What does Father want this time?"
Cyrus nursed his ale for a minute before answering. "Same thing he always wants. You. More specifically your head on a silver platter."
Ash leaned back and looked up at the rafters as if bored. "He knows where to find me. Any time he wants to face me man to man, I am ready." He looked back at Cyrus. "What else this time?"
Cyrus looked at his boyhood friend and noticed there was little warmth in Ash's eyes. He was growing harder with each passing year. What were they doing to him in that monastery? Cyrus pulled out a small linen bag from inside his shirt and sat it on the table with a jingle. "Dowry. For your sister Arielle."
"So, he has finally remembered they are of marriageable age?" Ash looked at the coins, debating on whether to take them or not. He finally scooped them up, for no other reason than to get the money out of his father that was owed to his sisters. He had no intention of turning them over to his father, though.
"You accept that and he will expect her to show up for her wedding." Cy warned him, surprised that Ash had taken the money.
"Where and when and to whom?" Ash asked him irritably.
"Next month on Harvest Night at sunset at your family castle's chapel." Cyrus didn't want to continue, but Ash pinned him with a stare and Cy squirmed as he answered the final question. "She is to marry Duke Avignoned of Arendel."
Ash's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it. He stared at Cyrus for a minute as Cy nodded his head miserably. Ash closed his mouth and then opened it again, a stream of curse words uttered forth until every head in the room was turned toward him. He glared at the other men and reached for his sword and they quickly turned back to their own business.
"That bastard!" Ash lowered his voice, "how did the Fiend arrange that?" Ash was appalled, though anyone who didn't know that Duke would have thought the girl would have been married off in an excellent match, marrying into royalty, well above her current station.
Ash knew better. Duke Avignoned was harder on his wives than Ash's own father, and that was saying something. Especially since the Duke must be approaching 80 years old and showed no signs of slowing down in any of his disgusting habits. The man was the head of a huge empire in foreign trade - most of it illegal. He was old, ugly, fat and cruel and there was no way Ash would marry his sister off to the criminal, no matter what plans his father may have made.
"Apparently your sister is supposed to seal the deal on some new alliance between the Duke and your father. They have been squabbling for years, as you know, but now have some new venture they need each other to pull off. The Duke said he won't trust your father unless he is "family". That is where little Arielle comes in." Cyrus explained.
Ash sat quietly for several minutes thinking while Cyrus sipped at his ale. 'A Duke. An old Duke.' he mused, stroking his chin. "How many children does the Duke have?"
"That's just it." Cyrus glanced at Ash in surprise. "His only heir was killed on crusade this summer, just a few weeks ago. Probably one of the early victims of those Aslavians. His girls have been married off and every son he had is now dead. He is looking for a young lady to give him another boy. A new heir."
An idea was beginning to form in Ash's mind, but he wasn't sure Arielle would go along with it. If he could convince her, though, he saw a way to not only set her up as the noble woman she was for the rest of her life, but to get back at his Father at the same time.
Ash stood up and shook Cyrus's hand. "Tell Father she will be there." Cyrus looked at him in surprise, "but I thought you hated that man? How can you marry your sister off to him?"
Ash scowled. "I have to do something for her and Anyia. They can't go on living like peasants for the rest of their lives. They are Noble born and deserve the life of a courtier. Despite the fact the man is a pig, this is a good match for her and with any luck she will cause his heart to fail on their wedding night."
"She isn't going to like it, though, is she?" Cyrus had seen the twins once a couple years ago when they were just starting to blossom. They were both going to be as beautiful as their mother. 'Hell,' he thought, 'for that matter Ash is just as beautiful.'
Ash shook his head. "No. She isn't going to like it. Not one bit." Of that he was sure. He pushed his nearly untouched ale over to his old friend and walked back out to the street.
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Post by lordchaos on Oct 20, 2009 15:21:49 GMT -5
((You should control the stalker Brandwyn))
Chaos sighed and, squeezing his legs to stay on his horse, rubbed his temples in attempt to clear his headache. For about a couple of weeks now, he had a growing migrane pressing his every movement of every day.
He was ready to tell Dag, but he hardly thought that this moment was the correct time to do so.
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 21, 2009 21:45:18 GMT -5
Klicker watched the priest head into town and the ranger head down the road out of town. He turned to his buddy. “Follow the priest.” He growled softly. “And if you loose him, you better be dead.”
The lad nodded in understanding. “Am I to stop him, or just watch him?”
“Just watch him and don’t be seen. He is craftier than he looks. I want to know everyone he talks to, what he eats, as well as where he goes and what he does. You stick on him till he gets back to the monastery or one of us relieves you.” Klicker rubbed his stubbly jaw. “Jody, be careful. I meant it when I said this one is sly. Don’t let the priest act fool you. With his father, it isn’t any wonder he grew up so paranoid.”
Jody nodded. “I’ll be careful.” He promised and slinked off in pursuit of Ash.
Klicker waited a few minutes and then quickly and quietly made his way to his horse and began following the rangers at a discreet distance. He hung back, out of sight and followed their horses’ hoof prints. He could hear their horses up ahead and so he rode along on alert, but not too worried they would notice him.
He was far enough behind them not to worry overly much.
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Post by Cutebabys on Oct 22, 2009 9:44:29 GMT -5
Dagbert continued moving, glancing back from time to time. He heard a separate set of hooves. "Change gait," he said, "1, 2, 3..." He felt his horse skip a beat. Now the sound of the hooves was obvious.
He slowed to a canter. He looked back through the corner of his eyes, just barely. No one was behind, but if Dag knew people long enough, they wouldn't be following right behind. Chances were that they were far back. There were a few ways which a person could follow from a distance. He bit his lip in thought. They weren't leaving anything behind... Then it hit him. Of course! The hoof prints! He smiled to himself at this discovery. He would have to find a way to clear the prints every few moments, he couldn't dismount his horse every few steps, could he?
He decided not to take this path. He tilted his head towards the north into the forest, indicating that they should go that way, instead of taking this road where their tracks could easily be traced.
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Post by lordchaos on Oct 22, 2009 15:30:24 GMT -5
Chaos thought of a different sort of plan, but he didn't know what Dag would think of it, so instead, he followed his mentor's instructions.
He sighed and patted his horse's warm neck. This was the one thing he'd miss if he were to rejoin the pack- Chaos then stopped his train of thought yet again.
No! Quit thinking like that. You are a HUMAN, not a wolf. He thought to himself as they entered the path that would aid them best.
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 24, 2009 13:25:38 GMT -5
Klicker heard the change in gait of the ranger horses and slowed to a walk, scanning the tracks ahead. He rounded a bend lined with trees and pulled up to a stop. This was a perfect place for an ambush.
The tracks kept on going, though, and so after scanning the trees above and the bushes on each side, he proceeded cautiously, following the tracks. He felt the eerie sensation of being watched and pulled out his sword and lay is over the pommel of his saddle.
He was scanning the road for tracks and the bushes on each side to avoid being jumped when he noticed he could no longer hear their horses' hooves stepping on the gravel road. He gripped his sword hilt tighter and proceeded up to where they prints turned into the woods.
He stopped and sat on his paint for several minutes and listened to the sounds of the Forest as he scanned the woods all around and above him. He did not hear the jingle of the ranger horses harness or hear their footsteps. He frowned in aggravation.
"Damn! I hate rangers!" he whispered and turned his horse into the woods, following the hoof prints. After only a short distance it became very difficult to tell which way the ranger's went because the ground was lined with old pine needles and dead leaves. There were a few signs, but Klicker had to proceed very slowly to catch them. If the rangers had kept on at a canter, he would soon be far behind.
He was also afraid of an ambush and tried to keep his eye on the trees around him and overhead as much as on the tracks on the ground. He studied each thicket before he passed it to make sure he wouldn't get jumped, or worse, stuck full of arrows.
While he rode, he thought on how his life wouldn't be worth a wooden silver piece if he didn't find out what business Ash had discussed with the ranger that had him on the road at such an early hour.
He gripped his sword tighter and proceeded slowly and grimly, aware that at any moment he might feel the sting of an arrow. By the Gods, did he despise rangers.
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Post by Cutebabys on Oct 25, 2009 9:27:05 GMT -5
Dag stopped abruptly. "I think we've lost him," he said, still keeping his voice down to a whisper. The swishing of the leaves would stop anyone far away from hearing him. "But I want to see what he's up to," he continued.
He unmounted his horse. "Continue. I'll be back soon," he said with a gleam in his eyes. He had, as usual, his bow slung behind his back and his hood up. He moved through the forest in silence, trying to find the person who was tracking them.
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Post by lordchaos on Oct 26, 2009 15:32:23 GMT -5
Chaos briefly nodded to Dag and continued on his path, ignoring the excitement he began to feel spread throughout his body. He was rarely given the privelage of something like this. Maybe it was because he was.....never mind.
His narrow eyes flitted from side to side, dully noting that that he was leaving a trail.
He sighed and continued on. He couldn't help it at the moment. Usually he would've done something like tie some Spruce tree limbs to the back of his horse's saddle, but he had no time.
"Dag...." He muttured, his sharp mind attempting to figure out who was following them. He already knew it had something to do with Ash.
"Be safe." He grumbled, looking ahead of the road. Right now, it was safe to say that the ranger was his only family left alive in the world.
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