Old Friends

Jadiran catches up with Bledrann not too long after the discussion at the Boar\'s Tail. He\'s carrying his gear over one shoulder and moving quickly. \"Bledrann! I want to talk!\" He calls as he jogs along. It\'s a cold autumn day and his travel cloak flares out behind him as a breeze catches it.

[Bledrann(#30997)] Bledrann\'s long legs carry him along in swift strides, and his expression abstracted. The two retainers are left to follow as best they may. At the hail the trio halt, and the pair of armsman exchange glances as Bledrann spins round to demand haughtily, \"Yes? What- oh, it\'s you, Jade.\" The irritation fades to be replaced by an almost boyish grin, and he slows his pace to let the other catch up. \"Of course. What is it this time? Another vengeful father on your tail? Or is it a question of money? No, I\'m not up for a game of dice tonight.\"

Jadiran laughs as he catches up, shaking his head. \"No no, none of that. I wanted to ask about your grandmother. How is she? And how is Eilidh?\" He lets out a sigh of relief as he reaches them, \"Why are you in such a hurry, anyway?\" He takes a moment to pull his pack properly onto his shoulders, adjusting the weight more evenly.

[Bledrann(#30997)] \"Because,\" Bledrann chooses to answer the final question first, \"I want to make sure that Fian fellow - what was his name again? - doesn\'t march on Redvyrne without me. Wouldn\'t put it past him. What do you think of him? Does he have the makings of a Ceann?\"

The other question is answered belatedly. \"Grandmother is ... well you know how she is. Can\'t leave her bed, can barely even talk. If she\'s going to join Kiern, you\'d think she\'d have the decency to get it over with. And Eilidh is uptight as ever. Most sisters would welcome a long-absent brother back, not give them a tongue-lashing. Insufferable girl.\"

\"Oh.. well.. Eilidh, maybe she just wants you there to help out with things? She\'s worried about your grandmother.\" Jadiran says, reaching up to rub his brow near the lacework of old scars. \"Desmond isn\'t going to do anything yet. He\'s too nervous to risk all his men. That\'s why he wants me to go in and soften things up first.\"

\"My stupid father volunteered me into his service, like some common soldier.\" Jade scowls. \"Half the time he doesn\'t care about how I spend my days, and the other half he\'s criticizing everything I do. But, that\'s what I want to talk about..\" His green eyes stray for a moment as he hesitates, then speaks again in a careful fashion. \"Eilidh, she\'s not interested in marriage or any of that rubbish yet, is she? My father has this foolish notion that she might want to match up with one of my brothers.\"

[Bledrann(#30997)] Bledrann actually stops at that question and lets out a sudden bark of laughter. \"I pity the man who ends up with her! Who\'d want a cold fish like that, anyway? I\'d as soon bed an icicle.\" Then his narrow brows crease in a thoughtful frown. \"Which brother was it? She\'s expecting to be mistress of a keep, at the least. Never misses the chance to remind me of it.\"

The other topic is not completely abandoned, for he grins suddenly at his companion. \"On come on, Jade, it\'ll be fun. Where\'s your sense of adventure? I\'d join you, except now that I\'m Fian it wouldn\'t be dignified. Propriety, hah!\"

\"Mistress of a keep? Why would she want to do that..\" Jadiran murmurs, frowning. \"Camron, or Breig.\" He answers, leaning on his unstrung bow. \"They\'re both too old for her, though. Cam is twenty-eight. She just seemed so .. unhappy.. when I saw her.\"

He looks off in the direction of Redvyrne Keep. \"Sense of adventure?\" A small smile tugs at Jade\'s lips. \"If I pull it off, you\'ll be sure to tell everyone, right? And if I get killed.. make up some great story, so all the girls cry.\" He adds, grinning. \"Coming from a right and proper Fian, it\'ll hold a lot more weight.\"

[Bledrann(#30997)] \"Because she\'s a woman, and that\'s what women do,\" Bledrann explains with a grimace. \"Organize things. I tell you, I\'ve had enough of her organizing me.\" Then one particular comment penetrates, for he frowns. \"Unhappy? What do you mean, unhappy?\" Clearly brotherly love has not provided insight on that particular matter. He does not dwell on it, though, continuing, \"And I assure you,\" here his voice unconsciously takes on Eilidh\'s tart tones, \"that I am indeed a right and proper Fian. Unless you care to dispute that with a blade?\"

The two armsmen trailing behind tense, and one sighs. Not /another/ fight over something trivial? But Bledrann himself leans in and murmurs in his friend\'s ear. \"Oh no you don\'t. You\'re not entering Kiern\'s hall before me - /I/ want the best ale and the pick of the girls.\"

\"Why would I dispute it? I\'m glad. It gives me someone to talk to if I need something and my father has a stick shoved up his ass. You think he\'d be happy that I\'m not looking to cause any trouble for Camron or the others. I just mind my own business and stay out of everything.\" Jadiran rolls his eyes, then grows serious. \"No, she wasn\'t happy. I tried to get her to lighten up with a friendly bet and I thought she was going to burst into tears.\"

Jade glances back towards the guards as Bledrann whispers in his ear, a grin on his face. \"Do that and I think your sister would hunt you down out of spite.\"

[Bledrann(#30997)] Bledrann rolls his eyes and shudders. \"Kiern preserve me! That would be one vengeful spirit.\" He falls silent for a moment, then shrugs. \"Maybe she is unhappy. Hard to tell with women. I\'ll ... ah, talk to her about it when this Redvyrne business is over.\" A promise that can be conveniently forgotten even if he does not find himself in Kiern\'s halls in the near future.

\"I would go talk to her myself, but .. Desmond. I\'m stuck.\" Jade sighs heavily. \"I don\'t want to piss my father off too much. Then he might actually kick me out.\" He straightens again, propping the bow against his shoulder. A grin finds it\'s way onto his face. \"You better watch out, though. If the old man is looking to match up Cam with Eilidh, I bet he\'s going to be pushing Laela at you. All she cares about is looking pretty for any occassion and pleasing my mother.\"

[Bledrann(#30997)] \"Well, there\'s nothing wrong with looking pretty,\" Bledrann remarks magnanimously. \"Though I do prefer them ... well you know. With something to hold on to.\" His hand traces an hourglass shape in the air. \"How old is she now?\"

While he\'s awaiting answer, he adds, \"I\'d hoped for a few more years before I have to come home to a cold bed and a Keep of squalling bairns. Still, there\'s always mistresses.\"

\"Fifteen.. she\'s a year younger than we are. She\'s a complete tease to all the guards.. unless there\'s more going on than I know about.\" Jadiran says, smirking. \"I don\'t think you\'ll have a few years. You\'re going to need an heir and all of that rubbish. Otherwise people will be worried and start getting ideas.\"

Jade\'s smile fades. \"Do you think I should do this sneak trick for Desmond? Maybe I should talk to my father first.\" There\'s a nervousness to his tone. Bravery in a bedroom is one thing. Bravery against a keep full of Bears is quite another.

[Bledrann(#30997)] Bledrann\'s shoulders tense. \"Did you have to say that?\" he demands at the first comments. \"You sound like grandmother. Maybe ... maybe I don\'t want to produce an heir and become expendable. Not just yet.\" He glares.

The other question is easier territory. \"Well, someone\'s got to do it,\" he points out reasonably. \"And I\'ve never known anyone with quite as much talent as you for getting into .. ahem, forbidden territory.\" He flashes the other a rather shaky smile.

\"If I was to be a Fian.. I would just sleep with all the women and have a mess of heirs to pick from. One less thing to worry about, you know? It would be fun, too.\" Jadiran is grinning again. \"I told Camron that once and he punched me in the gut. As if he\'s never spent a night with a girl.\"

The archer rolls his eyes again, then jumps back to the topic of the keep. \"I\'ll do it. I don\'t think I\'ll tell my father a thing. Why should he get to know what\'s going on? He\'s the one that put me in this situation, let him stress over it for a while.\"

[Bledrann(#30997)] Jadiran does manage to raise a chuckle from Bledrann. \"Ah, but not the right kind of heir. Bastards aren\'t much use, at least where the Faol bloodline is concerned. Unless you\'re planning to marry a girl in each Keep? Now, that would be a feat even for you.\" Chuckle becomes grin.

At the second comment the grin broadens. \"Good idea, that. Is .. uh, is there anything you need? Supplies, men ... money?\" Clearly he\'s in expansive mood.

\"I think I\'ll just need a lot of luck.. Desmond can foot the bill for anything else. It\'s his idea.\" Jadiran says with a casual tone of indifference. He\'s rarely wanting for money unless it\'s some transgression he doesn\'t want his father to know about. \"Maybe I\'ll just take Redvyrne as my own, and declare myself Ceann.\" Jade says in a joking tone. \"Then I -could- marry all the women. A wife in every keep. It would make things interesting.\" He says with a laugh, then glances back towards the tavern. \"I should go back and talk to Sionn, find out what the situation is with that poison.\"

[Bledrann(#30997)] Bledrann lets out another bark of laughter. \"What exactly did he promise you as reward? Maybe you should claim a Keep or two.\" With that haughty expression it\'s hard to tell whether he\'s teasing. His features crease in a scowl as Jadiran goes on, though. \"I still don\'t like the idea of poison. Sounds like a woman\'s trick to me. I suppose you\'ll have to go along with it, though. See you on the other side of that gate - or in Kiern\'s hall. First one there saves the other an ale, eh?\" He reaches out to clap his companion on the shoulder, then glances round to the two armsmen. \"Well? What are you staring at? We\'re off, there\'s work to do.\"

\"I\'ll save you the dregs!\" Jadiran promises with a laugh, slapping Bled\'s shoulder in return. Then he turns and trots back to the tavern to track down the surly bartender.