Trapped at the Angle

[+TIME] Middle-earth time is:
Twilight on Trewsday, Day 7 of June.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 18:37:00 MDT on Sun Jul 13 2008.
 

At the Angle
Morning has come, leaving behind the heavy thunder storms that dumped buckets of rain on the land, swelling the rivers and making the ford impossible to cross today. The day has dawned grey and cloudy, threatening more rain, perhaps.
It's still quite early, though--just past dawn. Rhifaroth lies motionless where he was left the night before, breathing but either not awake or conscious. But Cordelia has been awake for a while now. Her hair is wet--it's obvious she waded into the shallows of the river to wash the blood from her back and dirt from her body. She wears a new shirt, but without bandages on the lashings from the whipping, there are spots of blood here and there staining it from her moving about. She sits by her things, though, mending her ripped cloak with thread and needle. The shirt she was wearing yesterday--ripped and bloodied from the thrashing by Asht--is next to her.

[Asht(#29272)] Not far from Cordelia, Asht sits. It's the same posture he adopted the previous night knees drawn up to his chest, arms around his legs. The thin man looks strangely spider-like. Asht's eyes are half closed, it seems he's still asleep, although it's possible he's watching and listening. He doesn't move at all, breathing regular and even for a change. The morning light shows the exhaustion on his face, dark bags are under his eyes, adding another colour to the strange contrast of his yellowed skin and the remnants of blood from the previous days fracas.

[Addie(#22296)] And with Asht asleep, Addie remains awake. The rope around Rhif's neck is tied to her waist so that she will be alerted if she moves and she rocks back and forth, nursing the baby.

Head down, Cordelia concentrates on working on her stitches. She -has- glanced up once or twice, seeing Addie awake and nursing the baby, but she has said nothing at all since she woke up--not even making eye contact. She holds up the cloak to examine her work, and, satisfied, she bites off the end of the thread and then picks up the bloody shirt next. It's rather tattered and probably needs to be discarded for a rag for the baby's changes, but she re-threads her needle and turns the shirt about as if trying to figure how to mend it.

[Asht(#29272)] A single eye opens fully, Asht's dark pupil focusing on Cordelia as she works. After a few seconds of studied observation the other opens and the thin man unfolds his arms and stretches his legs out in front of him. He stiffles a yawn, stands up and stretches, his joints clicking audibly.
He says nothing to either Adelaide or Cordelia but simply stands there, looking across at the river, taking in its raised level, an expression of deep concern on his face. After a time he looks up at the sky, studying the darkening clouds.

[Addie(#22296)] Moving a rag to her shoulder, Addie gently burps the child, and then watches the other two and looks at the river. "I do not like this delay Mara will be unhappy."

An answer almost forms on Cordelia's lips, but she checks it, looking to the sky and then toward the rivers. She shifts her position--she is sitting on a rock, not the wet ground--then starts careful, tiny stitches to mend the shirt. It's painstaking work and she frowns in concentration.

Asht turns towards Addie and frowns. "I do not like it either," he says, his voice a little weak. "We're trapped here until the river drops. We can't go back can we?" It's not really a question at all, more an expression of frustration.
The man takes a few paces towards Cordelia and looks down at her. "Oh dear," he says placidly "You really must take more care of your things. That's quite a mess there." A gloating smile forms on his face. Somewhere, on the ground, not far from them, lies a bloodstained bundle of brambles, all but forgotten now.

[Addie(#22296)] "We could, I suppose, go further south, but I do not fancy our chances with the Rohirrim and our escape artist," the slight woman says carefully, readjusting the baby in its sling as it finishes and she cleans it up.

The girl's head bends closer over her work, her hair, which is slowly drying, falling forward to hide whatever expression--likely of hatred--that Asht's comments draw from her. The tiny, precise stitching continues silently. A look, though, toward Addie, at the mention of Rohan. Again, she opens her mouth to say something--then drops her head to her work.

[Asht(#29272)] Asht watches in silence then coughs softly, turning to face Addie again. He shakes his head slowly. "Neither do I." is all he says, then looks across the river again, peering across at the further bank. "Do you think we could risk it? We have ropes? Perhaps..." The words trail off. The river is probably too high to cross, the churning water has become a muddy brown.
A silence follows and Asht swears. "We're trapped," is all he says finally and his gaze moves westward and he shivers.

[Addie(#22296)] "The Eye will watch over us. He always has. He always will. And if it be his will that we cross, we shall. There must be a reason we need wait here a few more days," the slight woman says, kissing the baby's forehead.

Lifting the shirt to rearrange it, Cordelia tosses her hair out of her eyes. She finds a new torn patch to begin sewing, head and hair dropping again. "The prisoner's wife is half Rohirrim, half Dunlending. But she hates Dunland," she mutters finally, under her breath.

[Asht(#29272)] For a long while, Asht remains silent. As Addie speaks, he turns around, his attention focused far across the river, away to the southeast. He simply stares for a long time and something akin to an expression of rapture forms on his face. "Yes, yes," he mutters, largely to himself. "Where is my faith?" He bows his head a moment.
Looking sharply across at Cordelia he says sharply "What's that you're muttering?" He seems genuinely confused by her words and shakes his head slowly in confusion.

[Addie(#22296)] "Why does she hate Dunland, Cordelia?" the slight woman says, and she smiles thinly at Asht. "You have seen the messengers of the Dark Lord yourself. We must all have faith."

The girl can't help snort at Asht's apparent confusion, but she drops her head quickly again, hair hiding her expression, and then she bites off the end of the thread on the second repair she's finished on her shirt. "She's a straw-head. A blonde," she adds for Asht's benefit, looking briefly to him. "Dunlanders hate blondes and apparently they wouldn't let her play with them. Hated her." She shrugs, turning the shirt over once more. "I don't think I can get the blood out of this," she frowns.
Not waiting for an answer, Cordelia stands up and heads to the riverbank to try to wash out her shirt.

[Asht(#29272)] Another shiver shakes Asht's frame at the mention of the messengers but the rapturous expression is quick to fade. He looks at Cordelia and nods shortly. "Oh," is all he says as the woman walks off, but his attention remains on her for a time.
A few quick paces and he walks up to Addie and says softly, keeping his voice as low as possible "What are your thoughts? Can we trust her?" Dark eyes dart sideways towards the receding figure of the woman in question.

[Addie(#22296)] "You could dye the shirt brown.." she frowns and lowers her voice. "I wouldn't trust her as far as I can throw her," she says, her voice only meant for Asht.

[Asht(#29272)] His dark eyes narrow and again Asht looks westwards towards the plains. He speaks softly. "We are trapped here, yes. Trapped. And I do not like this place, I feel the very hills are watching us." Asht's tone has become a little panicked, he's genuinely afraid apparently.
His voice drops again, becoming a hissing whisper. "If there is danger we should minimise our risks, yes?" Asht licks his lips then raises an eyebrow. He does not explain further, but his expression becomes hungry.

[Addie(#22296)] "Mara did want to talk to her," the slight woman continues, her voice barely a whisper now. "I do not think we should eliminate her unless we have no other choice."

[Asht(#29272)] With an deferential bow of the head Asht says "As you wish. But if there is a risk of her being captured I will kill her." The hungry expression remains on his face and his eyes flicker towards the river again. "With your permission, of course..." he adds quickly, his voice low.

[Addie(#22296)] "If there is any risk of her being captured or fleeing, you may feel free to do with her what you will. In fact, I would say that her death, in that case, is so important, that our lives should be lost in the taking of it, if it be the Eye's will," the slight woman continues in a whisper. Raising her voice, she says, "I don't suppose we need to give the prisoner another wash?"

[Asht(#29272)] Another short nod. "In that case her death shall be of far more importance to me than my own life," he says quietly, the words zealously emphasised. "Do you think I would offer less to our Master?" He is silent a long moment then takes a few steps towards Rhifaroth.
Asht looks over the ranger, unsure whether he's asleep, unconscious or shamming. There's plenty of dirty covering the man and his face is still marked with blood. "I prefer him the way he is," he says, smiling down at Rhifaroth, showing his teeth. Turning back to Addie, he offers a shrug.

"Might have to dye it," Cordelia mutters, returning from the river and wringing out the shirt. She's a bit hesitant, looking between Asht and Addie, as if trying to read their expressions and gain from that information about whatever they had been discussing while she was at the river.

[Addie(#22296)] "Or you can get new clothes when we return home," the slight woman says pleasantly, stroking the baby's hair.

[Asht(#29272)] With seeming disinterest, Asht watches Cordelia and Addie closely. His expression remains neutral. He says nothing but looks down at the ranger, his hands making an involuntary movement towards the man's throat which he quickly checks.

Once she finishes wringing out the shirt--the motion of her hands perhaps mirroring Asht's as he nears Rhifaroth--Cordelia shakes it out and then stretches it over the rock she had been sitting on, to let it dry. "Rotten weather," she mutters, looking up at the sky. She kneels down to start collecting her sewing kit again and replacing it in her pack. "Home." A quick glance to Addie. "That likely? You'll let me live that long?" she asks bluntly.

[Asht(#29272)] Although he's a short distance away, Asht has sharp hearing and Cordelia's words make him look him with a jerk. His dark eyes study her and he chews on his bottom lip. It's a particularly telling gesture. Before Addie can speak he says softly "Regardless of my feelings, we do need you." It's almost as if he's thinking outloud. "You're the only one who can speak the foul elf tongue, as you said."

A blank stare forms on his face now and he says nothing further. The clouds overhead continue to darken and roll westwards, the air is noticably damp.

[Addie(#22296)] "If you don't give me cause to do otherwise, child. Your idiotic love of the pale moron aside, I've grown almost fond of you," the slight woman says softly.

"I do, don't I?" A slow grin of a satisfaction spreads across Cordelia's face, especially as she notes Asht chewing on his lip. "I could be useful to you, you know," she then says, lowering her voice and looking up at him through dark lashes. Toying with the man. "Your 'slave'"--she emphasizes the word with just a touch of ...sarcasm?...--"could teach you the elven tongue. If you didn't think it would burn your tongue to try to speak it," she says, finishing the thought with a quick laugh.

The little spark of life that toying with Asht drew out in her is quickly extinguished as she turns back to Addie, her voice now becoming very quiet. Sad, even. "We all have our weaknesses. I had not been tested....this way before..."

[Asht(#29272)] The response to this particular suggestion is slow in coming. "Yes... Yes..." Asht says slowly. "It might be better if you were not the only one with such a skill, yes?" A hard stare is directed at Cordelia followed by a long silence.

Asht looks across at Adelaide. "With your approval of course," he says curtly, before returning his attention to Rhifaroth. He studies the man closely as he sleeps, his dark thoughts turning inwards to who knows what end.

[Addie(#22296)] "So granted. It may help pass the time and make it easier for us to pass as merchants, should that be necessary," the slight woman says carefully.

"If your aim is to pass as a merchant, then with your looks you should learn the language of the Dale-lands instead," Cordelia says, shaking her head. She doesn't look happy. "Noone will believe that the elves would trade with someone with your...." She pauses to search for the right word. "WIth you. But if you said you were from Buhr Mahrling and traded with Dale, that would be plausible."

[Addie(#22296)] "Gondorian merchants speak the language of the elves too, Cordelia," the slight woman says, her voice a mild reproof. "Goodness, your trainer deserves to die painfully."

[Asht(#29272)] Standing up slowly, Asht makes his way over towards Cordelia and Adelaide. He nods and speaks quickly. "No, I would learn the elf tongue. Many of us can speak the language of Dale. The elf tongue is a rarer... commodity, as you so aptly told me yourself." A thin smile forms on Asht's lips.

'Fine.' Cordelia's voice is crisp, note of anger in it. 'This is how you say hello:' "(Sindarin) Morning, you tart," she babbles quickly in the language, smiling to Asht in a wicked kind of way. 'That's hello.' It sounds like an awful lot of syllables for just 'hello.'

[Asht(#29272)] He seems oblivious to the unusual number of syllables in the greeting and Asht painfully tries to repeat the words back to Cordelia. It takes him many attempts, his voice breaking, his frustration growing. He glowers at Cordelia as the lesson continues, but he can do nothing to hide his inability to pick up on even the most basic elements of the language.

With a loud curse, he turns away from her. "Damn you," he hisses, "Perhaps you will take more care in your teaching later..." He seems unable to acknowledge his own lack of ability, but the colour rises to his cheeks. Asht is almost blushing.

[Addie(#22296)] Methodically checking on the baby, Addie repeats back the greeting using the same syllabication, if slower, then Cordelia. "Like so?"

'Look, it's not that hard,' Cordelia says--or starts to say, at least. "(Sindarin) Mae govannen." She nods to Addie. 'That's close--and that's how they greet each other. I can...' Her attempt to break the word down into slower syllables falters as Asht threatens her, and she starts backing up, her eyes going to the bunch of brambles from last night. SHe'd have no place to go but into the water if he starts beating her now, but it doesn't look as if that will stop her today.

[Asht(#29272)] Slowly Asht folds his arms across his chest and watches Addie as she repeats the phrase with far more skill than he could muster. His expression is jealous, yes, but there's also a sense of shame in his demeanour. He says nothing, but just stands there, dark eyes darting from Cordelia to Adelaide and back again.

[Addie(#22296)] "We all have different talents, Asht. Perhaps with age comes wisdom," the slight woman has a smile on her face.

As Asht doesn't make a move to pick up the brambles or any sort of weapon at all, Cordelia stops backpedaling, though she still eyes the man warily. "Right. Talents," she frowns. "How deep is the river right now? Is it going down now that the rain stopped?"

[Asht(#29272)] Still glowering, Asht nods in response to Adelaide, then raises a hand to his face. His begrimed features are beginning to look like those of an much older man, his sickliness and exhaustion doing nothing to give him the image of youth. "Yes, perhaps later it will be easier," he says quietly to himself. There's a grimmace of frustration playing on his features.

Asht lets out a soft chuckle. "I think we have as much chance of finding out how deep that accursed river is as we do of crossing it." he spits at Cordelia. "Unless you would like to find out for us, yes?" Dark eyes regard Cordelia with derision and, perhaps, a little wishful thinking.

[Addie(#22296)] "Peace, you two. Anyone would think you WERE getting married," the slight woman shakes her head.

At that, Cordelia spits on the ground. "You can make me his slave and make me say whatever words or vows you want, but no matter what you say or do, it will never be a true marriage. Never." She glares at Asht. "If you'd like, I'll go for a swim. Now, in fact. Rid you of your problem."

Asht says nothing but takes a pace towards Cordelia. He offers Adelaide a half smile. "Oh, I might like that ... " he says in a wistful tone. "The sight of your drowning carcass might please me, yes. But don't delude yourself into thinking that it would please me in any other state."

With a downward glance, Asht stops quickly. "But enough of this," he says, an appealing look thrown to Addie. "Is there truly no way we can cross? I have a bad feeling... " As he speaks, the rain begins to fall softly, large drops hitting the ground. Perhaps it won't last, but it's doing nothing to improve the situation.

[Addie(#22296)] "We will give it another day and then, I think, perhaps we will need to go further south. I do not wish to brave Rohan, but...as long as we are careful, we look like merchants. A married couple and a woman with a baby? Who could object?" She pauses. "Either we dump the prisoner or we will tell people he was a captured bandit. with the tattoos and such, they might believe us."

"You can't take him to Rohan!" Cordelia says, looking up sharply. "Didn't you listen to anything I said? His wife is half Rohan. His horse--the stallion--has the blood of their horses in it. It's likely he speaks their language and will blurt out the truth before we have a chance to stop him. And gagging him would be too suspicious. If we're fleeing south from pursuers, we'll have to dump him."

[Asht(#29272)] With a sudden gesture, Asht pulls the hood of his cloak over his head, his eyes all but concealed. "Another day?" he says, his voice almost a whine. "Another day in this place and I will throw her in the river myself." The last comment is naturally directed at Cordelia, but is followed by a short chuckle.

Asht's face draws back under his hood, drops of rain dripping from the edge of it. "If we dump that ranger scum, I will have the pleasure of watching you butcher him," he says softly to Cordelia. There is no rancour in his tone.

[Addie(#22296)] "You really think he has any info worth saddling ourselves with him, Cordelia?" the slight woman asks softly.

Though Cordelia's hair is still partially wet, she reaches for her mended cloak and pulls it on, pulling her hood up. No use catching her death in the weather any sooner than Asht or Addie wish to kill her. She stares hard at Asht at his words about Rhifaroth, but her answer is for Addie, with a small sigh.

"He is a Dunadan--a man of the West, of their line. I am certain of that much. Whether...he knows of their secrets and their plans and their ways.... I don't know. Certainly the man is a friend of the elves, if that's of value. But how much do the elves reveal to even such as him? I don't know. And..." She turns, assessing Rhifaroth from where she stands, "at this point I don't think he would survive the journey. I would call this a loss," she says, very bitterly, or at least her voice sounds that way. "I should...go check our food stores. Make sure they are safe from the rain so that we don't starve to death. And then the horses." She pauses, waiting for any replies, but starting to head toward their supplies and horses.

[Asht(#29272)] A sneer forms on Asht's mouth. He listens carefully as Cordelia speaks, nodding occassionally. Dark eyes watch her as she moves away then turn to Addie, his expression calculating. In a soft whisper he says "If we have no need of the ranger, then we have no need of..." He stops in midsentence, eyes flashing to the side, indicating the departing woman.

[Addie(#22296)] "True. Very true. And tempting, but, for the moment, I am going to enjoy a bit of rest," the slight woman says softly.

Asht nods sharply to Adelaide then silently moves away from her. He does his best to make himself comfortable, wrapping himself tightly in his cloak, trying to stay as dry as possible. He sits down sharply, eyes on the ranger, a look of hatred on his face.