Open To Anyone For Anything RP Post

[questionablewit]

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Brilliant ideas and clueless flailing all welcome.
AUs and cross-canon, drama and comedy and shipping.
Just throw stuff at me. It's all good.

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[rednightfall]

Eomer gives his lawbrother-to-be a look, for though the hint of suggestion is very faint, yet it is there. He looks as though he would like to refuse to answer the question.

But men of the Mark are not easily decieved even by themselves, and neither is the Steward of Gondor. "She is--" he begins quietly, then breaks off, not finding the words he wants. "She seems--"

Eomer walks a few more steps in silence, his brow furrowed, then finally recites, his voice soft and low.

"Where walks the lady limned in gold?
Gowned in petals, o'er the wold?
Sprays of buds alight her hair
E'en as her laughter lights the air
Vána, Vána, Ever-young!
To you be sweetest measures sung
Of silver flowers and meadows bright
Where nimble feet dance through the light."

A scholar such as Faramir will know that as the Rohirrim revere Béma above all others, so too do they have high regard for his wife, Vána, the embodiment of spring and delight, whose blessing is called on all marriages and births in the Mark.

[theywhowait]

Faramir's eyebrows shoot up.

"Ah." He says, suddently gentle. "I did not think you had fallen for her. Have you told her this yet?"

[rednightfall]

"No." And in truth he does not know that he has, only that he finds her...oddly breathtaking. But the answer remains the same. "No. Nor do I intend to do so."

[theywhowait]

Faramir's other eyebrow goes up to meet the first.

"My lord, you mean to tell me that you think my cousin is the Lady Vana's very image, and you are not going to tell her?"

[rednightfall]

Eomer stops, standing just a few feet shy of the steps that lead up to the Meduseld, and turns, looking over his realm and the starswept sky above it. "We fought the war on two fronts. Saruman burned the Westfold and salted its fields; even now refugees still stagger in from the far reaches." He juts his chin eastwards. "To the East we still vie with the Wildmen of Dunland, some of whom seek peace, others of whom still want only vengeance--and the Eastfold too suffered. It will be years, decades, before the Riddermark is fruitful once more, able to survive without the charity and trade of its allies."

Gondor not least of those, though Gimli and Legolas have spoken to their own kin and sent much aid as well. Eomer accepts all with gratitude and without pride, for his pride--great as it is--is as nothing before the needs of his realm and its people.

Almost as nothing. Some remains, and he shakes his head. "The Lady of Dol Amroth deserves better than anything I can offer. I would not ask her to bear these burdens."

[theywhowait]

Ah.

Gently, Faramir says, "I think, my lord, you might want to ask if my cousin thinks that those burdens might be worth bearing. Lothiriel has ever known her own mind, my lord. "

[rednightfall]

"She is young." He resumes his slow walk up the hill, towards the steps. "Very young. Too many of us lost our youth to the war, to despair or fury or weights beyond carrying." His face darkens a little, thinking of Eowyn and how her smile had gradually faded, worn away into nothing by years of thankless, humiliating effort. "Let her enjoy hers."

[theywhowait]

"She is." Faramir walks beside him slowly.

"And she does, believe you me! But her youth does not make her naive. She is of age, my lord, to make her own decisions. Tell her."

[rednightfall]

"I will consider it." His tone is one of finality, belying his words. The matter is unquestionably closed.

[theywhowait]

Faramir sighs.

"I hope my lord will do so with clarity. For I have seen the way my cousin looks at you - you will break her heart, if you say nothing."

A pause.

"Or, she might try and take things into her own hands."

of course there need to be hijinks

[rednightfall]

A brief, doubtful expression clouds his eyes, before being replaced by the same finality. He does not believe it. Even if Faramir is correct in this, Lothiriel is but a girl, and girlish hearts break easily and heal as easily. She would recover.

And he has other duties, which rank far above his own inclinations. His own heart's promptings can be ignored, and shall be, until the Riddermark is stable once more.

"I will," Eomer says, now almost through gritted teeth as he makes himself remember that this man is nearly his kinsman, and that Eowyn would not thank her brother for doing him an injury. "Consider it."

so many hijinks

[theywhowait]

Faramir shrugs. He's given his law-brother fair warning.

"As you say."

Now he won't have any guilt in watching the ensuing chaos.

and back to the main! We can switch back to two threads anytime for Eomer and Lothiriel. ;)

[withoutswords]

Eowyn sees them as soon as they return, and frowns a little, for Eomer is scowling and she cannot imagine what Faramir might have said to make him look so fell, particularly not when they left on terms of good accord. She would like to get his attention, but aside from a glance at both her and Lothiriel, and a slight bow of the head in acknowledgement to them and to Faramir, he ignores her and walks with deliberate determination towards Elfhelm, engaging him at once in earnest discussion.

Eowyn's eyes narrow further. That her brother has heard something he did not wish to hear is obvious, and that he resents it is equally obvious, at least to her eyes. But she will need to beard him in his lair, somewhere less public, if she is to convince him to speak of it to her.

That she can, she does not doubt. They have rarely had secrets from each other, and she knows him well. And Faramir she may question later. For now she turns back to Lothiriel, wondering how the younger woman will react to the return of the men.

=3

[theywhowait]

Faramir, for his part, looks thoughtful. He comes over to them with a fond smile and hair ruffle for Lothiriel, and a kiss for Eowyn.

Lothiriel, for her part, brightens as Eomer comes over, and then dims again as he walks away, causing Faramir to hug her briefly and catch Eowyn's eye.

"Have you been entertaining my betrothed, little cousin?" He encourages her gently. "I hope she hasn't told you too many terrible tales, Eowyn!"

makes more sense to me to continue from this one for now

[withoutswords]

Eowyn does not need Faramir's eloquent look to notice how Lothiriel reacts to her brother's presence, or to his then ignoring them. Her eyes narrow and her lips thin a little, and a few of the Rohirrim in the room who happen to catch her expression just at that moment cringe, knowing it means trouble for someone and fervently hoping it isn't them.

Happily, Lothiriel misses this, still looking after Eomer, who does not so much as glance at them. Eowyn takes Faramir's hand and squeezes it, a silent gesture of we willspeak of this, and soon, then she takes a breath and forces herself to relax. The kiss does make that easier. "On the contrary, we have been occupying ourselves most usefully," she says lightly. "I am teaching Lothiriel to speak the language of the Mark. And she is quicker at it than you, so be warned."

works for me!

[theywhowait]

Faramir squeezes back and nods in acknowledgement.

"Ah! A whole new language. You always were better than me at that."

Lothiriel blinks, leans into the ruffle and then smiles up at her cousin.

"Was I? I'm sure that's only because you're forever getting distracted, cousin. Learning the history of a people is all very well, but don't you think that learning the language first makes for better studying?"

"There's that." Faramir smiles at her fondly. "But I find learning the history of a people first makes learning the language easier!"

Clearly, they've argued this point before.

Both of them turn to Eowyn.

"Perhaps my lady could give us the deciding vote in this difference of opinion?"

...pity Eowyn finds this subject boring, I think it's an fascinating one ;) Also, timeskip.

[withoutswords]

Eowyn laughs and shakes her head. "Not I. I am no scholar, and to me one way of learning seems as well as another."

Which leaves the two cousins to happily wrangle, Faramir deftly keeping Lothiriel too occupied for distraction or sighing over the King of Rohan. Eowyn watches them with amusement and just a faint touch of grief (Faramir is as much older to Lothiriel as Theodred was to herself, or near it), mixed together with annoyance at her brother and impatience and above all, curiosity.

So it is a relief when after some time, Lothiriel is reclaimed by her brothers for some other family argument, and Eowyn takes Faramir's arm and leads him to a relatively more quiet corner of the room. She manages to continue the innocuous conversation they'd been having until reaching it, whereupon she immediately abandons it. "What in Bema's name were you discussing?"

She does not specify when or with whom, and assumes she will not need to. Her betrothed is no fool.

XD alas

[theywhowait]

Lothiriel wants to be distracted, and Faramir does his level best, but when Elphir, Erchirion and Amrothos arrive to kidnap her, he is only too glad to hand her over and retreat with Eowyn.

He sighs. "It seems your brother is very fond of my cousin, but equally determined not to say anything about it."

[withoutswords]

"Is he now." She does not look surprised. She does look annoyed, and all but glares across the room where the king is surrounded by a pack of men. A few people in the room catch her expression and wince, sure that it means trouble. Eowyn's temper is well known.

[theywhowait]

"So he has told me." Faramir sighs, but his eyes are drawn to Lothiriel, for now secure with her brothers - but even then, her eyes stray.

"She is taking him ignoring her entirely hard. Polite distance she could accept, I am sure - she knows her duty as well as any. But he is very obviously ignoring her entirely. If he did not think anything of her in turn I would have said nothing but... "

[withoutswords]

"But he is being as stubborn as a mule in the midden," she finishes for him, still scowling. "You need not break his confidence; I will worm the truth out of him myself. Though I fear it must wait until tomorrow, much as I would like to haul him off now and give him an earful. Two earfuls."

[theywhowait]

Faramir's eyes crinkle in amusement, and some sympathy to Eomer.

"I worry more Lothiriel will try something reckless, if this keeps on!"

[withoutswords]

With that, he regains Eowyn's attention, her fierce expression giving way to something more perplexed as she glances at Lothiriel, then back to Faramir. "I would not have called her reckless. What is it you fear?"

[theywhowait]

"You didn't grow up with her." Faramir says dryly and shrugs. "In truth, I do not know exactly! But I would not put it past her to decide that she wants to talk to him, and if he won't speak to her in public, to corner him somewhere private where he cannot escape her."

[withoutswords]

"I would not call that reckless so much as sensible," she says dryly. "Though I can see how her kinfolk might think otherwise. But my brother would never dishonour her, nor let her compromise herself in their eyes. So if that is the worst she would do I at least am happy to leave her to it. Or possibly to assist."

She sighs a little and moved closer to him, leaning her head on his chest. "I would like to see my brother happy," she murmurs. "I would like to see him we'd for love, as we shall, and not merely for duty. The cares of the realm weigh heavily on him. Bad enough that I must leave him; worse if he does try to carry all alone in my absence."