faemused | Open To Anyone For Anything RP Post

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From:

takesnoshit

She looks surprised, then suddenly laughs, an unexpected, triumphant sound. "Very well," she agrees, grinning back at him, still with that fierce light in her face. "We will live and prosper, and let that be my payment and my vengeance both."

From:

grumpycatanthir

He likes it when she laughs, he decides.

"It is the best vengeance I can think of!"

From:

takesnoshit

"I would prefer to live and prosper, and have him choke on his own fires and be consigned to oblivion. But this will do." Haleth leans back a little, looking at Caranthir with a raised eyebrow, though she still smiles. "I still say you are generous, however. You know as well as I that we have been dwelling on your land without your leave, and that for several of our generations. Other lords would have left us to die, or at least banished us henceforth long ago. But it seems you knew and cared not for our trespass."

From:

grumpycatanthir

"We all would." Caranthir agrees. "But practically, irregardless of what my kin say, it's highly unlikely we'll do more than annoy him. Defeating him is extremely improbable. Holding him back? That's easier."

He snorts. "It's my lands because I got here first, that's all. If you can fight, you're welcome to stay. There's plenty of space."

From:

takesnoshit

She raises an eyebrow, looking at him with consideration. "And that is all you require of your tenants? That they share your emnity for the Dark One, and give battle to his emissaries when they may?"

From:

grumpycatanthir

"That is by far the most important factor." He shrugs.

"Obviously, if you elected to stay, we would probably have to negotiate something formal. But thinning the Enemy's ranks is never not helpful or appreciated."

From:

takesnoshit

With that, she cannot argue, though she frowns faintly at negotiate something formal. She wishes to swear no fealty, even under such terms. If it were herself alone, then perhaps--only perhaps--but to bind all her people thus? No. They would accept her decision, but to place them thus in bondage, even a beneficial one, sits ill with her.

But that they have discussed in brief, and unless she may find another place for her people to wander to...until then, they remain guests. Honored guests, at least, and valued for the damage they did to the Enemy, such as it was. The sting of a nettle in a foot, Haleth thinks: irritating, even painful, but temporary and soon forgotten.

She suspects most of the Eldar think of the Secondborn as such, whether Caranthir does or no. That is a large part of the difficulty.

At least Caranthir himself is easily read, as blunt as she, for all that he ostensibly teaches her...not diplomacy, exactly, but the manipulations of politics, and how to shift them in her favor. She is used to more blunt treatments, obvious leverages of strength against strength. But there can be no such balance in this. She and her people will ever be at a disadvantage.

It is a thought that grates at her continually. She sighs a little as she stands. "I will think on it." She says those words often. They are at least the truth. "Two days, then. I should inform those who need to know, that we may prepare what we can."

From:

grumpycatanthir

"Two days." He agrees, and thinks wistfully that it is not enough time to spend with this firey mortal woman who has captured his attention.

He throws himself into the work, pours into time spend with her. They'll be parted, one way or another, he reminds himself. Shouldn't get attached. But he's very much his father's son, in this way. He already knows he will never love another. He can at least spare her his mooning.

From:

takesnoshit

Haleth does think. She questions all her people. She thinks further. She speaks with her wounded, sees how they fare. She wonders how her father would choose, her brother, but not for long; she is not her father or her brother, and how they would have chosen is irrelevant.

She thinks.

At the end of the next day, she seeks out Caranthir. "We are not yet prepared for so long a journey as we will need to make," she says, without preamble. "If you will permit that we remain a while longer on your lands until we are better recovered and provisioned, that we would do, and I vow to you if we cross the Enemy's path he will pay dearly for it."

It is only a little more time that she asks. Not more help, not more of his attention; he has other duties to attend, and his warriors and hunters also, for his realm is vast and he has spent enough time on her Haladin. He will need to return to his own home. All she asks is a little more grace to remain and prepare before they depart.

From:

grumpycatanthir

He looks up when she enters and nods.

"You have it, with what little good my blessing might do. We are almost done with the relevant history, which is by far the best help on the knot of politics you have stumbled into I can give. I can assign a patrol to take regular routes this way too - I was going to do that anyway, now the gap in our guard has been revealed."

From:

takesnoshit

She nods, her relief contained. It is not truly a surprise that he is willing to agree; he has said more than once he would welcome them as vassals. But she has not agreed to swear to anything and he has not asked, so this remains temporary. That will do well.

"They would be welcome in our encampment, should they wish a stay," she says, bowing her head a little, one leader's acknowledgement to another. "I do not intend we should build anything permanent, so bread and board will be spare, but such as there is we will give, and that most willingly. Would you have us remain here, or move on to another area for the moment?"

For this space is over-hunted and over-fished, from the two weeks they have all remained, and also still near the recent battle site, and her people no longer have horses. Yet they could and would make do, and Haleth will not move further on Caranthir's land without his leave. Not as her father and his father did. He has been good to the Haladin, and she will not squander that good-will, particularly not as he has proven it genuine, and not condescending. That, she never expected--and she does wonder if other lords of the Eldar will be the same, if she meets them.

From:

grumpycatanthir

He scowls thoughtfully.

"It might be best if you relocate. Your injured can't manage a long trip yet but a short trip is feasible, and we don't want to overstress the land."

He rises to pace.

"Short relocations might actually be a good option for your people."

From:

takesnoshit

She nods, opening her palms to the air. "I propose we travel alongside with you for some little ways, for you will be moving towards safer ground. When we find a suitable place to stop, there we will remain for a season before choosing our next course." It is early spring now; they may delay a season in strengthening themselves before beginning a longer trek. "You may thus also continue your watch on your patients for a little longer, and young Linneth may continue to learn what she may."

Linneth is their only surviving healer, far too young but taking her responsibility seriously. Haleth has been teaching the girl some plant and herblore herself; she is no healer, but Linneth has much to learn in little time and is anxious to gather as much knowledge as she may, from any source.

"We will slow you down," she continues. "But not overly much, for many of your horses are still recovering from the pace you set to get here in time, and you could not move with great haste in any event. It seems little cost to benefit all."

From:

grumpycatanthir

"That is wisdom."

He agrees, and walks over to his saddlebags to filch a map.

"Here. We will be headed back to Amon Ereb, here. Likely, we will take this path. There should be grazing and good hunting... here, I think. And here, also."

He taps the map as he speaks.

"My own outriders will be reaching us soon with fresh supplies, as well. That will give us carts, which will make it easier to carry those of your wounded who cannot yet ride or walk."

From:

takesnoshit

She smiles as she joins him and looks down at the map. Her smiles are almost as rare as her laughter, and make her look younger than her years, briefly erasing a few of those lines of grim responsibility etched into her brow.

"That will do very well," she says, nodding to approve this plan, relaxing just a little. "Yes. Let us wait for your outriders, and move on then, with all well-supplied and as many carried as may be."

There is the faintest hint of a grin as she looks at him. "I would ask again what repayment we might make you for such assistance. But if your only wish is that we live to defy the Enemy, it is clearly in your advantage for as many of us to survive as possible." By Haleth's standards, this is a joke.

From:

grumpycatanthir

He's struck momentarily dumb when she smiles - it lights up her whole face, and he flushes, looking away.

"Yes." He's very grateful that he doesn't stutter. He manages to smile back at her at the joke.

"Indeed so. And I... would like it. If you lived." He adds and wonders if that was too forward.

From:

takesnoshit

Haleth tilts her head, birdlike, looking at him with open curiosity. "You are blushing again," she says. "Why is that?"

Last time it was embarassment over admitting he made clothing. She cannot fathom what in this conversation would cause it.

From:

grumpycatanthir

"I... " he looks away and clears his throat.

"It was only. I thought. You looked. Very. pretty Just now."

From:

takesnoshit

"I?"

This sight is rarer even than her smiles: Haleth looks abruptly, completely astonished. By the word, by it being applied to her, by it being applied to her by an elf, by it being applied by Caranthir...there is nothing about his answer that does not amaze her.

From:

grumpycatanthir

He's bright red.

"Yes. Well. I apologise. I was too forward."

From:

takesnoshit

Haleth shakes her head. "You know I prefer forward speaking. It saves time." The gesture and the sentence are both automatic. He has heard her say much the same thing several times in their brief acquaintance.

Even so, she is nearly as red as he is now, still wide-eyed and astonished. She opens her mouth to ask if this is but courtesy among elves, or commonplace--then shuts it, for obviously it is not, or else he would not have apologized for being forward. He would not look as he does now, awkward as a boy and avoiding her gaze.

"I..." She stops, swallows. Her face is burning. What does she do in this circumstance? Thank him? Tell him he is mistaken? Why would an elf, grace and beauty made manifest, consider a human, much less her, to be pretty? She is not. She is strong, practical, she has many virtues, but she is not pretty. Yet Caranthir is blushing so fiercely, and she knows him to be truthful.

Haleth swallows again. "I...will think on this." The same words she has used at the end of nearly every discussion they have had, every time he has given answers to her questions, but this time they feel...very different, and when she turns to leave the tent it is even more brisk than usual, almost to the point of a run.

From:

grumpycatanthir

"Of course." He manages to her back as she (doesn't run, Haleth would never) exits in a hurry, and then drops his head to the table and curses.

STUPID he hisses at himself. Is he a boy, to stammer out compliments? He should know better. The Oath has him by the throat anyway, he should not be dallying.

(It isn't a dalliance, won't ever be, he already knows that)

And she's leaving, anyway. She has her people to think about.

STUPID.

From:

takesnoshit

For once, Haleth is mistaken: she is too struck dumb to think on it. She tries, but all her pragmatism abandons her so that she's left with nothing but confusion and a racing heartbeat and ears that burn.

It does not make sense. She cannot make it make sense.

Fortunately Caranthir's outriders arrive the next morning, and the entire camp--Eldar ihuman leaders definitely included-- are too busy to attend to anything else. There are supplies to distribute, plans to make, wagons to load with the wounded, an endless list of tasks. Haleth welcomes it all with relief, shoving other concerns into the back of her mind and handling things with her usual methodical precision.

They all break camp on the second morning. The humans move at a slow, steady pace, sitting in the wagons or walking alongside them. Haleth moves from wagon to wagon, keeping an eye on all, not least her scamp of a nephew.

She stays very busy. This is deliberate as much as necessary.

They stop for the night early, for some of the wounded are not handling the journey as well as hoped. From a distance Haleth watches Linneth and Caranthir tending them, her face blank. The elf lord's long fall of hair glistens in the light of the sunset, the black tinged red.

She turns and walks away, thoughtful.

An hour later finds her kneeling by one of the many campfires, crushing herbs into a stew and stirring it, smelling the results. She looks more relaxed as she performs this task, and a faint hint of a smile plays on her face.

From:

grumpycatanthir

Caranthir both curses and blesses the arrival of his outriders - the bustle of moving and distributing keeps them both busy, although he cannot help sneaking glances at her in the work.

(It also brings a proper healer along, much to his relief - he does his best, but this is not what he was trained to do, and to have another here to go over his work and take the hard cases off his hands, to properly teach Linneth, is a great weight off his shoulders)

He comes to find her when the work is done, only to pause and stare, looking at the smile as she works for her people.

His heart aches. This is where she belongs, where she is happy. How can he think to taint that?

His eyes are a dark glitter from where he stands and he cannot quite bring himself to turn away, nor to approach closer.

From:

takesnoshit

She feels his eyes on her now and then all through the day, though she ignores it and does not look back. They have brief speech when needed, but no opportunity for further talk.

She takes a turn at cooking to clear her mind, and it helps. The familiar rituals of cutting vegetables, balancing meat and liquid, seasoning...Haleth's people long ago learned that the best time to approach her is after cooking. Not during, but after.

Her stew is nearly finished now, and she looks directly up at where Caranthir waits (having given no sign previously that she knew he was there). "Come and taste this."