Ovor Chats with Ranol

Ranol has been more than a bit on edge since the caravan set out. It\'s only been a couple of hours but already he\'s stressing about this dinner he\'s found himself roped into. It\'s too late to back out now, rumors have already spread and if he makes a fuss he\'ll never see the end of the harrassment. He rides along at the back of the group on one of Frarin\'s ponies, trying to avoid socializing as much as he possibly can.

[Ovor(#20753)]     A wish that is surely in vain, for there is one Dwarf that drops back amongst the group, hammer upon his belt and mail and gloves ringing quietly with each step. The red hair and belt buckle all confirm who this Dwarf is: Thane Ovor of Zinbar. He gives a sidelong glance towards Ranol, silent for a few minutes before he speaks.

\"So.\" This seems all the Thane will say at the moment.

Ranol watches the Thane approach, and after a quick glance around to be certain that he\'s the only one that Ovor could possibly be wishing to speak with, the huskarl deftly reins in the pony and slides down to his feet. He gives the Thane a short bow and a murmured, \"Good day, Lord Ovor..\" then waits. When Ovor only says the one word his hopes that this is about the armor or the troll dry up. \"What.. can I do for you, Thane?\" He asks carefully.

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"Is what they say true? It is a small caravan, so I believe it is.\" The Thane\'s face is unreadable, and his hands rest lightly upon his belt. He does not look at Ranol, simply looking forward, watching the caravan.

\"What they say?\" Ranol asks, giving the thane a wary glance as he walks, tugging the pony along.

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"You know of what I speak!\" Snaps the Thane though his voice is still quiet, there is no disguising the tone in the rumbling words. \"Have you sought one of the Zinbar and now have second thoughts? That is what they say, Huskarl.\"

\"Wait.. what?!\" The huskarl stumbles as he misses a step, looking over at Ovor in complete shock. \"She wanted to have -dinner-.. that is all.\" He responds in a cautious tone. This is what seclusion has gotten him, complete ignorance of the rumors.

[Ovor(#20753)]     Another sidelong look is sent at Ranol, the Thane\'s eyes narrowed slightly. \"Then why was there talk of children, Huskarl? That is not exactly what one discusses freely.\"

Ranol draws in a slow breath, trying to maintain his composure. \"She spoke of children.. I told I haven\'t thought about children or planning any kind of family yet, which is the truth. I\'m not .. I haven\'t sought her or anyone.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"You had best be speaking the truth, Huskarl, for I do not appreciate the implications otherwise.\" Rumbles the Thane, eyes returning to look at the caravan. \"It would be an insult to Zinbar and to me and I thought we had a camaraderie.\"

\"Lord Ovor, I swear to you that the rumors are exagerated. She spoke of children, yes, but only to express her future desires. I only agreed to dinner.. \" Did he even really -agree- to that? She rather tricked him into it. \"I have no wish to insult you or Zinbar.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"You had best tred carefully, Ranol. This is dangerous ground you are upon.\" Speaks the Thane, glancing briefly to the Huskarl. \"If that is your only intention for now, then we have little to discuss upon the matter, no?\"

Ranol runs his hand through his hair, off-balance by this entire discussion. \"I have no intentions.\" Wait, no, that sounded really bad. \"That is.. It\'s just a dinner.\" He clamps his mouth shut again, frowning. This is such a mess.

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"If it is just a dinner, then the rumours must be wrong, then.\" Replies the Thane lightly. \"But if you do have any intentions what so ever beyond a friendly dinner, I would wait until we return to the Mountain before persuing them.\"

Ranol nods quietly, his brow furrowing in frustration. He looks ahead to see if the mountain is even visible yet. Maybe he should just call it off. This is getting grossly overblown in only a few hours. \"Maybe I should speak with Siv.. \" He says quietly.

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"You have committed to dinner the least you could do is see it through, Ranol.\" Rumbles the Thane, glancing to the Huskarl. \"Might send a bad message otherwise.\"

\"Right.. committed.\" He laughs lightly, a nervous thing. The huskarl would be happier going to fight that dark rider right now. \"She mentioned her father.. do you know of him?\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"Hmm... did she give a name? I do not have the families of my clan committed, except those I interact with most often. I could place some by face and some by name, but.\"

\"No.. she did not give me much opportunity to get a word in edgewise.\" Ranol responds, rubbing the back of his neck. He looks ahead, an expression of undisguised misery on his face. \"I\'m sorry for the misunderstanding, Lord Ovor.\"

[Ovor(#20753)]     \"Hmm... I shall give some thought to it, though I may not remember off hand. There has been much that happened recently that has otherwise been upon my mine.\" The Thane shrugs after a moment. \"Think no further upon it, Ranol.\" After a brief pause, he gives a slight nod to the Huskarl. \"I shall be on my way, then.\" That said, he increases his pace, moving further up the caravan.

Ranol bows as Ovor departs, than breathes out a long sigh of relief. It\'s a short-lived feeling because immediately he begins to worry about these rumors and what everyone must think, Siv especially. The huskarl hangs back for a long time, trying to come up with a solution that won\'t hurt anyone\'s feelings, but no ideas present themselves. Maybe she\'ll change her mind..