Keldean Almost Loses His Job

Keldean is sneaking around the back of the of the stable, the late afternoon shadows long and deep. It\'s been .. five days? six? The teen had asked for a single day off and must have thought that meant a week. He\'s trying to avoid being seen by anyone, but is watching for Nob since he needs to talk to that hobbit specifically.

Keldean is filthy, covered in dirt and grime. His auburn curls are a tangled mess and he has some scratches on his neck, several days old at least. The boy has a worried expression on his face as he approaches the inn.

[Nob(#16122)] Alas for the boy\'s desire to remain unseen - it\'s difficult to do in a place as bustling as the Pony. But he has yet some luck (or not...) for only one person sees him: Lek, who is idling in the innyard. The younger boy\'s eyes grow wide, and then he bolts for the Inn yelling, \"NOB, NOB, he\'s back!\"

The youngster runs right into Nob himself, coming out the door as the boy tries to go in and for a while, in the tangle, the hobbit has no idea who is talking of what or whom. But at last he gets himself rightways up, and notices Keldean not far off. A scowl descends on the hobbit\'s face, and he gives Lek a stern and authoritative look. \"Go,\" he says. \"And don\'t be sneaking back to listen, for you can be sure I\'ll know of it.\" Reluctantly, Lek leaves, looking over his shoulder the whole way. When the boy is finally gone, the hobbit crosses his arms. \"You can get your things,\" he says, \"And clear out. I won\'t be having thieves working for me, I won\'t. Not to mention lay-abouts as expect to be paid but never do any work.\" His scowl deepens. \"I thought you were a good lad - and shaping up to be one you were, too, until you fell in with that woman. And I\'ve something to say to /her/ to!\"

Keldean glares when Lek suddenly makes a hollar, rushing across to try and grab the boy, but the teen draws up short when he sees Nob. He shrinks back a few steps towards the comforting shadows again when he\'s the angry scowl on Nob\'s face. \"Nob.. I can explain-\" He cuts off as the hobbit starts laying into him, his face growing more and more shocked as Nob dumps accusations at his feet. \"What? Thief?! What are you talking about?\" He asks, brown eyes wide.

[Nob(#16122)] Nob is tapping one of his toes. \"Don\'t tell me you don\'t know,\" he says angrily. \"Taking things and never giving them back! The mayor himself told me how a man in Archet loaned you his goods and you never returned them!\" His scowl grows deeper, and he moves towards the shadows at the side of the stable also, and despite his anger, he keeps his voice low. \"Well? What is this that you can explain? That you didn\'t really feel like doing anything, so you just wouldn\'t bother to come back? Perhaps you didn\'t realize that I have an Inn to run, and fireplaces don\'t fill themselves and rooms don\'t clean themselves and patrons don\'t come back if they aren\'t pleased with the service?\" As much as a fat jolly hobbit can, he is sounding sarcastic and furious combined. \"Well, I\'ll just tell you, you can find somewhere else to work, where they won\'t be quite so demanding.\"

Keldean avoids the topic of theft, because he doesn\'t really want to make guesses at what he might, or might not have stolen. Keeping his job is the priority right now. \"Nob, I\'ve never stolen anything from you.. well.. maybe some food, but that\'s all!\" Things that guests left behind that never got reported is another matter entirely. \"I\'m sorry I missed all these days. I was out in the woods, practicing what Seeker was teaching me about hunting, and I got all turned around and lost. I thought I knew what I was doing, but I had never been in that part of the forest before. I can make up the time. I\'ll do extra work. Please!\" He\'s pleading and it sounds fairly genuine because if he screws all of this up, Asht is going to be furious.

[Nob(#16122)] Nob grunts. \"From me,\" he says sourly. \"And what about from others? I\'m telling you, boy, I won\'t be having a thief working for me. Now you just make up your mind right now what it is you want. If you want to grow up to be a man, a man respected and whose word has weight, a man people look up to - you stop taking things as don\'t belong to you. If you want to end up with a bunch of losers who can\'t even trust each other, and who\'d... who\'d beat you soon as look at you, you just keep right on the way you\'ve been going. Well?\" He looks at the boy sternly, pretty much seeming to ignore all of his hurried explanation of his absence. \"Which is it going to be?\"

Keldean hesitates, an almost queasy look crossing his face as Nob presents the two paths his life can take. He doesn\'t think long, the decision was already made for him days ago. \"Nob, I won\'t make any more mistakes, I promise. Please, just give me another chance. I\'ll do all the heavy work. I\'ll get started right away. I can take care of the wood right away, I\'ll even take the wagon and get it all myself. Let me prove I can do the job right.\" At least he doesn\'t have to fake his desperation.

[Nob(#16122)] \"Hmph,\" Nob says, as he meets the boy\'s eyes and holds them. A long silence follows. Longer still. Finally, Nob nods once. \"Very well,\" he says. \"I\'ll give you one more chance. But mind you, if I even hear a breath of you stepping out of line once more, out you go! And I want you and my wagon and the wood back here in two days, d\'you hear? That should be plenty of time for you to find enough to fill it up and come back.\"

Keldean looks incredibly relieved, letting out a half-sigh, half-laugh, his pent-up stress making him almost giddy. \"Thank you, Nob! I won\'t.. I promise. I\'ll leave as soon as I change. I\'ll be fast.. \" The teen heads for the door then, not wanting to give the hobbit the chance to change his mind.

[Nob(#16122)] Nob watches him go, his arms still folded unrelentingly, his face scowling.