Torebras + Aaron = Keldean in Trouble

[Torebras(#25187)] It\'s really quite a lovely morning. The sun is pleasantly hot, without the stifling heat of a month or so back, and a few puffy white clouds drift across the clear blue sky, for all the world like a few stray sheep gone swimming. Torebras Bywater ambles down the road from the Pony, his hat tilted to keep the sun out of his eyes. His trademark pipe is nowhere in sight instead he munches contentedly on a ripe plum. A couple of wasps buzz lazily behind him, attracted no doubt by the sweet fruit.

Keldean is sitting in the shade of a tree just off the road. He has an almost depressed expression on his face, his entire posture limp as he slouches back against the trunk. His auburn curls hang loose around his face and there\'s faint sweat dampening the collar of his shirt.

[Aaron(#24624)] \"Good day Mr. Bywater,\" a pleasant voice calls from behind the mayor, \"Quite a day isn\'t it?\" Aaron smiles as he comes up next to the mayor. The Merchant has a few items slung over his shoulder and wears a nice hat himself.

[Torebras(#25187)] Torebras takes another bite of his plum, humming a little tune to himself as he potters along, and certainly not looking into the shade beneath any trees. Aaron\'s greeting causes him to pause in his meandering, turning to tip his hat to the merchant. \"Ah, Mister Clothweaver! Isn\'t it beautiful? Quite the weather for-\" Suddenly the words break off and Bree\'s Mayor starts imitating a windmill as a wasp suddenly comes into his field of vision. \"Shoo! Go away!\" he orders the creatures ineffectively. When one of them settles on his helf-eaten plum he gives a squeak and almost involuntarily hurls it away from him. Towards Keldean, as it happens ...

Keldean is just looking up towards the voices with mild interest when the sticky plum bounces off of his darkly tanned arm. He jumps in surprise, then frowns as he reaches over to pick up the object that was thrown his way. As the teen looks up again he notices Aaron and the frown on his face evolves into a quiet wariness.

[<#24624>] Aaron laughs at first when the wasps attack the mayor, but eventually helps shoo them away. He turns to see where the plum landed...and his eyes fall on Keldean.

The Merchant is surprisingly calm as he whispers in the Mayor\'s ear, \".... ..., ... word .... ... ... over there, ......... ... to speak ... ... ... ....\"

[Torebras(#25187)] Torebras catches motion out of the corner of his eye. \"So sorry,\" he mumbles in Keldean\'s direction, still trying to swat off the second wasp (the first having gone with his plum). \"I didn\'t mean to-\" And Aaron despatches his attacker, and he turns to follow the merchants gaze. His brown eyes widen. \"You!\" The sternest scowl he can muster settles on his face. \"I\'d like a word with you, young man!\" He tries to keep his voice casual, but can\'t quite hide the disapproval there.

Still eyeing the boy, he murmurs very quietly to Aaron, \"Yes? What do you propose we do about him?\"

Keldean flings the plum away into a bush, sighing as he leans back against the tree again. \"Okay..\" He answers in a despondent tone. The teen makes no move to flee, or get up.. or anything really.

[Aaron(#24624)] \"Well Mr. Mayor, I assume you heard about the elf that was attacked?\" Aaron asks out of the corner of his mouth, one eye on Keldean, \"Cordelia was behind the attack. She\'s long gone, but I\'ve reason to believe that Keldean was an accomplice. I don\'t know for sure if he was, but I think we\'d better ask what he knows..\"

[Torebras(#25187)] \"My thoughts exactly,\" Torebras answers Aaron, still in that near-inaudible murmur. \"There have been no complaints about him, but-\" \'Guilty\', says that grimace. \"That\'s a very fine hat,\" he remarks much more loudly, turning the grimace to a smile.

Focussing his full attention back on the youth, he barks out, \"You can start by telling me everything you know about the whereabouts of Miss Woods. Don\'t leave anything out.\" He draws himself up just a little taller in an effort to look authoritative.?

\"She\'s gone. She left Bree yesterday morning on my horse. She won\'t be coming back.\" As Keldean speaks, there\'s a profound sense of loss in his tone and his gaze doesn\'t focus on either of them. The teen looks heartbroken. \"She went east.. towards the Shepherd Village.\"

[Aaron(#24624)] Aaron contemplates the teen\'s words, then throws in a question of his own. \"What do you know about the elf that was attacked?\" his voice is rough, demanding. His eyes search the boy, looking for any hint that he might be lying.

[Torebras(#25187)] Torebras heaves a sigh that might ostensibly be relief, though at Aaron\'s rough query he seems to recollect himself. \"Only yesterday?\" His eyes widen a fraction. \"Did you see her off? What exactly was she carrying? And where have /you/ been for the past few days?\"

Keldean hesitates at Aaron\'s question, not answering. Instead he focuses on the mayor. \"She left early in the morning.. I saw her. She had her sister and some supplies. I was going to go with her, but.. I changed my mind.\" He frowns, a sad expression on his face. \"I\'ve been at the Pony. Nob had me cleaning out the cellar..\"

[Aaron(#24624)] Aaron notices the hesitation and quickly steps in. \"Forgive me Keldean, but you didn\'t answer my question. Please, I\'m not trying to be mean, but this is a serious matter. What do you know about the elf who was attacked?\" His voice carries no impatience, the result of caring for six children.

[Torebras(#25187)] Torebras hones in on Keldean\'s last question. \"Good to know Nob\'s working y- ahem, you\'re working hard for Nob.\" That amendment is made just in time. \"Why exactly did Miss Wood leave? With ah, \'your\' horse?\" He pauses just long enough for thought, then adds, with just a trace of irritation, \"And answer Mister Clothweaver\'s question, please.\" The wasp is back, circling the bush containing the discarded plum, and he watches it nervously out of the corner of his eye.

Keldean chews on his lip, brown eyes watching Aaron again warily. \"Cordelia left because she was scared about what Galharth might do.. And it was my horse. I had it the day I came back, remember? I gave it to her.\" He draws his knees up to his chest, \"The elf.. His name is Galharth. I don\'t know much about him. He\'s here with some other elves and they\'re all staying at the Pony. At least, they were. I\'m not sure if they still are, I\'ve been staying away from them.\"

[Aaron(#24624)] Aaron watches the wasp for several moments, thinking about what to say next. The name of the elf, where they are staying...that\'s old news to him. He opens his mouth as if he\'s going to speak, closes it, then opens it again. \"So you admit you know the elf was attacked. Do you know who attacked the elf?\"

The Merchant kneels down, coming face to face with Keldean. His eyes are harsh, watching the teen\'s every move, but his face seems almost...gentle? \"Please tell the truth Kel.\" the voice is pleading, almost desperate, but the eyes remain firm.

[Torebras(#25187)] \"I don\'t doubt she was!\" Torebras seems almost affronted at that remark of Keldean\'s. \"When one has been been attacked and robbed, one is generally angry.\"

He lets Aaron take the lead in the questioning of Keldean, edging just a /little/ bit away from that bush as he waits.

Keldean draws back more tightly into a ball as Aaron approaches, clearly untrusting of the man. \"Why do you need to know? Why do you assume that -I- know anything? She\'s gone. She -left-. Isn\'t that good enough? You all drove her away and now I\'m here alone!\" He slides to the side, away from Aaron and stands. \"Are you happy now?\"

[Aaron(#24624)] Aaron stands, and suddenly he realizes. This isn\'t a hardened criminal...it\'s a child. It\'s a boy, just a few years older than his own son. The Merchant sighs and seems to think...think back to all the times he\'s treated Keldean like a criminal.

Finally he speaks, his voice quivering. \"I\'m sorry Keldean.\"

He turns his gaze away.

[Torebras(#25187)] Alas, the Mayor\'s patience is wearing thin. Hard on the heels of Aaron\'s sympathy, Torebras snaps, \"We need to know because she left taking with her a number of possessions that are not hers. Not to mention having committed assault. There is no place in Bree for things such as thievery, violence, lying ... What do you say to that, young man?\" His attention is nearly all on Keldean now - fortunately the wasp has settled now, far more interested in ripe fruit than in plump sweating Mayors.

The teen gives Aaron a rather guarded and skeptical look, then looks over at the mayor as he demands answers. \"She didn\'t take his things. I did. I was the one that hit him, not her! I gave him back his sword and his money already. I apologized for it, I told him why, and then he had Nob decide what should be done and he -did-.\" Keldean answers, crossing his arms over his chest.

[Aaron(#24624)] Aaron suddenly turns on the mayor. \"Are you so thick headed, Mr. Bywater?\" he blurts, his eyes wide. \"I don\'t know why I didn\'t see it before...but don\'t you see? He\'s not a hardened criminal! He\'s a kid! He\'s a boy whose made some bad choices!\"

Aaron turns to Keldean and bows his head. \"You must think badly of me, Keldean,\" he says softly, \"I see though, that we\'ve been treating you the wrong way!\" He lifts his head to the mayor again. \"Why don\'t we start treating him like a kid...that\'s what he is.\"

[Torebras(#25187)] \"What?\" Keldean\'s tale, seemingly, is news to Torebras. \"What did Nob decide? And why wasn\'t /I/ told?\" he bursts out, shuffling from foot to foot in his agitation.

Aaron\'s words take him quite by surprise. \"Really, Mister Clothweaver,\" he remarks, pursing his lips. \"Children must be disciplined, if they\'re to be properly brought up.\" The words are spoken with all the ignorance of a bachelor. \"If my young niece was caught stealing, I\'d see to it she was given a good thrashing!\"

\"I\'m not a child!\" Keldean retorts sharply, glaring at Aaron and the mayor both. \"I don\'t know why he didn\'t tell you. Maybe he figured that it was settled. Galharth said he didn\'t care to do anything about it and left it to Nob.\" He clenches his fists, his temper slipping, \"This is exactly why Cordelia left! Because people like you wouldn\'t just leave it be. Someone does something wrong around here and everyone has to pester and hassle them until they\'re so angry and upset that they don\'t even want to live here anymore!\"

[Aaron(#24624)] For the moment, Aaron ignores Keldean and turns to the mayor. \"How ignorant are you?\" he shouts, throwing up his hands. \"Could you honestly tell me you\'d thrash a child, a girl at that? Boys might need thrashings now and again...\" He shakes his head. \"You have to talk to children first. Yes they need discipline, but the ones who are hit all the time are the ones who grow up to be real criminals!\"

Aaront turns to Keldean once the teen stops talking but says nothing, only looks at him with disbelief and bewilderment.

[Torebras(#25187)] Torebras raises his eyebrows at Keldean\'s outburst. \"Well, of course! We\'re respectable, decent folk here. There\'s no place in Bree for wrongdoing. Honest mistakes can be pardoned, but when someone does wrong again and again and again ...\" He fades off, with the helplessness of one of those \'respectable, decent\' folk who lacks any real means to punish.

Aaron\'s words seem to hit the Mayor hard. \"Like the young criminal we have here? He\'s had three good chances - /three/, mind , not just one - and he\'s blown them all.\" He glares fiercely up at the merchant, pushing his hat back on his head so that he can look the man in the eye. \"Very well, Mister Clothweaver.\" His tone is icy, the friendliness of earlier gone. \"Master Pinewick certainly needs someone to show him the difference between right and wrong. It\'s not fair on Mister Nob to have to step in, the poor fellow\'s overworked as it is. Will /you/ be responsible for him? We can\'t just let him wander around stealing, it\'s giving the town a bad name.\"

Keldean continues scowling between them as they argue, his arms still tightly crossed. \"Nob -already- talked to.. \" He starts to protest again, but realizes he won\'t get a word in edgewise. When Torebras makes the suggestion that Aaron be responsible, the youth looks at him with an expression of horror on his face, \"No!! He\'s mean! He kicked me, and he attacked my horse! You saw!\"

[Aaron(#24624)] Aaron nods as Keldean speaks and turns to the Mayor. His voice is still edgy, but it has lost some of its former anger. \"The lad\'s right. He doesn\'t trust me, and I already have my hands full with six kids. Mr. Nob\'s doing a great job with him, I say keep him at the Pony. However, I say we put him under curfew and make sure he doesn\'t leave the city for a few weeks. I do think with time though, the lad could be trusted once more.\"

\"What do you think Keldean?\"

[Torebras(#25187)] Right now, Torebras does not look very fond of either Keldean or Aaron. It is the latter he addresses first. \"It seems to me that Nob needs a little help. Why, he can\'t keep the boy under control! I\'m sure a man like yourself has a lifetime\'s experience in that.\" He attempts, rather unsuccessfully, a wink.

Turning now to Keldean, he tells the boy sternly, \"Young man, you\'ve just admitted to theft and assault, on top of a previous crime. /Nob/ may have pardoned you, but the law doesn\'t. I\'m giving you three choices: either you submit to joint supervision, or you can come along to the Constable house and spend time in jail,\" (please, no! the public purse would never stand it), \"or you can leave the Breelands for good. Which,\" he adds acidly, \"you\'ll be doing anyway if I hear so much as /one/ more complaint against you!\"

Keldean grows a bit more worried when Torebras mentions him being kicked out. Chewing on his lip again he asks in a less defiant tone, \"You said I had three chances.. but.. It was only two.\" He had a taste of the world outside and isn\'t sure if he wants to fend for himself out there.

[Aaron(#24624)] Aaron intervenes here, an idea forming. \"Now wait a minute, Mr. Mayor. I have an idea. Maybe all the lad needs is a vacation. I\'m planning a trip to the Shire, Mr. Bywater. Now what if Mr. Nob and Keldean came along? Perhaps some time outside of Bree will help the lad calm down.\" Aaron turns his gaze towards Keldean as if seeking his approval.

[Torebras(#25187)] Torebras lifts his chin (his hat is now in danger of sliding off his head)and attempts to give Keldean a hard stare. \"As I recall, Nob said you were already on your second chance when you ran off with that cart-\"

The words break off as Aaron speaks, and the Mayor looks quite thoughtful. \"Now, that might not be an entirely bad idea,\" he responds in a much more mellow tone than previously, actually favouring Aaron with the beginnings of a smile. \"Give the lad a chance to pull his weight, show us he can be trusted,\" here he eyes Keldean sternly for a moment, \"and let him see a little of the Wilds.\" And, it goes unspoken, best of all, if he offends again it will not be in Bree. The Mayor\'s smile becomes almost a beam. He doesn\'t ask Keldean his opinion.

Keldean doesn\'t look thrilled at this idea, but it\'s better than banishment and he\'s at least intelligent enough to figure that out. He shoves his hands into his pockets, looking every bit sullen and rebellious, but doesn\'t open his mouth to argue.

[Aaron(#24624)] Aaron nods, neither smiling nor frowning. \"So be it. I will make the preparations.\" The Merchant nods to Keldean, the turns to the mayor. \"Mr. Bywater,\" he says crisply. Shoving his own hands into his pockets, the Merchant turns on his heel and walks back up the road briskly.

[Torebras(#25187)] \"Of course.\" Torebras nods pompously to Aaron, sending the hat teetering atop his chestnut curls. \"Naturally I can\'t leave Bree myself, duties to attend to, you know,\" he babbles anxiously after the retreating merchant, \"but my young brother Brandebras is very keen, I\'m sure he\'d appreciate the ex-\" At this point the hat slides completely off his head to land in the dust.

Torebras bends to pick the hat up, face rather red, and then straightens up to tell Keldean coldly, \"I\'ll be keeping an eye on things, Master Pinewick.\" Warning delivered, he turns to walk on his way, letting out a little squeak as a wasp zips past (which perhaps speeds his steps the more).