Keldean Returns

================================== Bree Time ==================================

Real time: Wed Oct 22 11:09:52 2008

Bree time: Early Evening <19> on Monday of Spring - April 3,1445

Moon Phase: New  Moon

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Breelands Weather

The early evening spring air is cool but pleasant around you. The day sky is cloud-filled and gloomy.

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony

The Great East Road bends around the southeastern corner of Bree-hill. The Road leads away to the west and southeast, and where it sweeps past the foot of the hill there sits a large three storey inn. The inn is reached by a wide cobblestone pathway, with two wings that run back, away from the Road to the east, on land partly cut out from the hill\'s lower slopes. As a result, the rear second-floor windows of the inn are level with the ground. A wide arch leads to a courtyard between the two wings. Above the arch is a lamp and beneath it swings a large signboard: a fat white pony rearing up on its hind legs.

It is just after supper on this early April evening, though the sky is darker than it otherwise might be due to the low and gloomy clouds that darken the town. Residents hurry about, finishing up the last of their business or heading to their homes or to the Pony for an ale and company. One young woman walks briskly up the Great East Road, hood of her light cloak pushed back, for despite the clouds, the evening air still holds the beginning warmth of spring.

[Keldean(#23332)] Just in front of the Pony, there\'s a skinny figure on a brown mare. Behind the saddle is a wrapped and tied bundle, and the young man astride the horse is slowly climbing down, landing lightly on the ground next to the beast. His auburn curls are pulled back into a loose ponytail, and under the worn old winter coat, Keldean is wearing newer woolen garments of elven design.

The young woman walking on the Great East road now turns her steps toward the Pony. Cordelia looks briefly at the teenager dismounting the horse, giving him at first only a passing glance. And then she stops, several feet from horse and rider, staring.

[Tarry(#25241)] There is one little hobbit, walking leisurely down the path, who doesn\'t seem to be hurried or worried about anything at the moment. No business seems to be bothering him at all. The teenage hobbit, who is no more the size than a human child, is one of the few not seeming to scurry towards the Prancing Pony, though that does seem to be his destination.

Keldean is perhaps an inch taller, which isn\'t much change since he was at the end of a growth spurt when he left, but something Cordelia may note immediately is how skinny he looks. He\'s almost gaunt, so thin is he. Gone are the muscles he had built up all last summer.

The teen glances over at the movement nearby, one hand holding the reins of the horse casually. \"Cordelia..\" He says in recognition, his tone guarded.

\"Keldean...\" Cordelia answers the greeting from the human teen, her tone of voice similar. \"Didn\'t know you were back here...didn\'t expect you back, in fact...\" She pauses, shuffling her feet, glancing at the hobbit and then the sign of the Pony. \"Going to the Pony? Muirgheal may be around....she was here the other day.\"

[Keldean(#23332)] \"Thanks to you, I didn\'t have much choice.\" The teen says in an accusing tone. Keldean doesn\'t seem happy to see her. His brown eyes flick over towards the hobbit, watching him for a moment. Then the youth turns and begins tugging the horse towards the gate to the inn-yard.

Tarry gives the two teens a glance as he gets closer to them. \"The Pony\'s the place to be folks. Ain\'t no better place to go for a night of fine drinkin\' and talkin\'!\" He grins.

\"My...my fault?\" Cordelia stutters, giving the hobbit a quick look. \"Aye, the Pony is a fine Inn and the only one for miles. Unless you\'re going to the Shire, I suppose,\" she tells him politely. Looking to Keldean again, Cordelia\'s tone grows sharper. \"How is your coming bck here my fault?\"

Tarry frowns instantly. The two seem to be unhappy talking to each other. That can\'t be good. Time for him to use the family charm that comes with being a Pott...that is to say, not so much charm as tricksy manoeuvring. \"Well, ya know, if this little thing is going to be escalating, ya know the best thing to do is to do it over a good ale...in fact, it\'s best not to do it at all and just drink and be merry.\" He says with a fervent little nod.

Keldean wheels back, scowling at Cordelia. \"It\'s your fault because you ruined everything!\" There\'s a lot of anger in his words, he\'s had several months to dwell on it, after all. \"You had to chase after me, had to get me in trouble. And before that, you did nothing but cause problems and convince me to help you.\" He avoids looking at her directly, \"I\'m not going to be your fool anymore.\" Keldean looks at Tarry, \"I have to find Nob.. \"

\"Get you in trouble?! Just because I didn\'t want you to leave Bree? So I suppose all those things you said to me, telling me that you loved me--that was all lies, was it Keldean?\" Cordelia answers angrily. \"Because it\'s oh so easy to blame everything on me. Well..!\" she huffs. \"You go see Nob now about getting your old job back, and good luck with that. Oh, and Muirgheal and Seeker are here now, but I doubt Muir will let you see him or that Seeker will want to talk to you. But, you know, just blame it all on me, Keldean, because that\'s the easy thing to do.\"

Tarry frowns deeply. \"Now now, lets not be sayin\' nothin\' hasty like that might be regretted later now. Tell you both what, you, sir Human, and you Madam Human, Mister Nob can wait. He\'s always around somewhere, I hear. I\'ll buy ya both a drink and once ya both are calm and happier like, you can go on you merry ways, eh?\"

Keldean shakes his head at Tarry, \"No.. I have to find him..\" He starts to say more, but his gaze goes back to Cordelia. \"I wasn\'t lying! You\'re the one that lies all the time! I had to -leave- to figure that out. You .. you.. trick me into things and I\'m not going to fall for it anymore. I d-.. \" He hesitates, \"I did care. I cared enough to risk my life for you again and again and then you left me. I know Seeker is here.\"

\"I\'m not having a drink with -him-!\" Cordelia snaps at the hobbit. \"I gave you my sister to protect because I trusted you,\" she continues to Keldean. \"I tried to protect you from my family. But fine, Keldean, you believe whatever you want to believe. I don\'t care anymore.\"

Keldean almost looks as if he might back down. For the hint of a moment his face softens, but it doesn\'t last long as the many words he shared with Giliath return. \"Fine!\" The teen says and looks back to Tarry. \"I\'ll have a drink with you.\" He says in a friendlier tone.

Tarry starts to feel the heat himself now. \"No need to be snapping at me now, Miss. I was just tryin\' to help ya some. But fine, don\'t take any offers from little hobbits. Get angry at what this guy has to say. Be angry at the whole world. It ain\'t gunna get better, though. Ya ain\'t going to solve nothin\' by gettin\' angry at every single person.\" He huffs. He gazes over to Keldean. \"And you. Well...I don\'t got nothin\' against ya. But...oh, furryfeets. There ain\'t nothin\' I can do here. If neither of ya want nothin\' to drink to be bought by me, fine. I\'ll just go drink by my lonesome.\"

\"Sorry...\" Cordelia mutters to Tarry. \"Didn\'t mean to snap at you, but I\'ll not drink with Keldean. Another time, I\'ll drink with you, if you still care to. Was going to have some lunch, but I\'ve lost my appetite, so I\'ll just get back to work.\"

Tarry eyes Cordelia. He isn\'t sure at first if he should accept her apology or not. He\'s almost tempted to say no...but he\'s not mean or cruel, and she seems to mean it. \"Fine. Apology accepted. But be sure not to let it happen again. My family are a proud folk.\" He says with a nod. \"If you must, than you must, but I\'m going to maybe take you up on that some day soon, so be ready.\" He smiles every so slightly at her before turning to Keldean. \"All right then. Well, at least I have one person tonight with which to visit and have fun.\"

Keldean rolls his eyes at Cordelia\'s words, turning away from her. \"I have to stable the horse.. I\'ll meet you in the common room in a few minutes..\" The teen mutters quietly, moving off then with the mare.

\"Of course,\" Cordelia replies to the hobbit, inclining her head slightly. \"But I\'m afraid I must now, so I\'ll be on my way.\" Without so much as a glance to Keldean, she hurries up the road, heading north.