Retrieving Property [John, Revi]

[Rhuryc]

Stormhold Castle, Second Tier; Early Noon.
66th Day of Summer, 510 AV

Rhuryc gave himself a solid once-over. Not that he had a mirror, but he patted down his coat, dusting off the ashes and debris left from the forge. His master had allowed him to take most of the day off in order to solve his 'dilemma', the so called confiscation of his weapon. Sore memories lay in his encounter with the young knight and already the man hoped he did not have to interact with him again. Who knew what he might do with a fresh, clear state of mind. Probably exercise his right to pummel. A hand slid through his air, messing the semi-long cut about in some queer fashion of normalcy. There was little he could do to straighten his appearance. A day at the Ironworks - even a half day - was enough to leave any man disheveled. Nevertheless Rhuryc took on an air of confidence as he strode up the staircase to the second tier of the castle, having only been let in so far by the good graces of the knights below. Friendly chaps for the most part. Why was it he had met the only one with a chip on his shoulder?

His boots hit the ground with a solid thud and his hands found themselves sticking to their perspective pockets. In all Rhuryc had no idea where he was going. He glanced about in a curious fashion, eying the various trafficking of those that did and mused about the various facilities and offices in the area. What kind of duties did these people hold? Paper work pusher? Strange. Rhuryc harrumphed and surveyed what he had deemed as the "Entrance Lobby" with a keen gaze. Perhaps someone would take pity on him.

Most likely, though, he would just stumble around in a stupor.

[John Griffin]

John had been hanging around the second tier all morning. After the incident with one Rhuryc Naravane at the beginning of his shift, he had reported in to his Sergeant, and turned over the sword. The rest of the night had been uneventful. He'd given directions to a few lost civilians, but that was it, a quite patrol otherwise. At the end of his shift he had rushed home to change, swapping steel for cotton. He wore a shirt, doublet and leather jerkin with cotton pants and his boots. His sword was, of course, strapped to the belt around his waist, his dagger tucked into the other side of the belt.

After so changing John had made his way to the second tier, intent on being present when the troublemaker showed. If he shows. He had been lounging around, relaxing for two hours when finally he saw him. Or at least he figured it was him. Six foot and a handful of inches with a small goatee-style beard.

"Naravane."

[Rhuryc]

Naravane? How friendly. Rhuryc felt his mood drop. His hopes were dashed. Nevertheless he turned at the call and kept his countenance smooth, polite. If he lost his temper here than he would never get that damned sword back and that, beyond all else, was acceptable. A few long, booted strides brought the young man across the hall until he found himself stationed before the knight. John seemed smaller, somehow. No longer clad in armor Rhuryc mused at the idea of taking a swing at him. Sure, he had a sword, but a punch from him hurt. A lot. The thought of such an act forced a grin to spread across his lips, one that might have been mistaken for a jovial greeting. He was lucky that John could not read his mind.

"Sir Griffin." The man said, his thick baritone low and respectful. He offered a curt nod as well, though with his height advantage it was more of a head bob that anything. Queer, really. "Honestly, I was hoping you wouldn't be here. Groveling to a stranger is just that much easier."

Was that a joke? Maybe. Rhuryc's feigned civility was at the height of its trickery, the casual cant he used common among others of his station.

[Leviathan]

"So this is the one then John?" The large man stood behind John Griffen, Sergeant Turley, Hanemen Turley. Sergeant Turley was a fairly young man, turning thirty in the winter of this year, a day he wasn't particularly looking forward to anymore, yet because of his physical fitness he still was quite youthful. He did not wear his usual armor, he like John was not on duty, but as a favor to the boy (Turley had a habit of calling John either 'boy' or by his first name, all in good fun of course) but wore casual clothing, and unlike John, he was unarmed, excluding for Rhuryc's blade. Turley showed up to help deal with the trouble maker, a certain man by the name of Naravane, a man that Turley had seen before in the smithy, a person he never really paid attention to, but until now had no reason. He seemed like such a good citizen too. "I've heard of the Naravane name before, but never in the same sentence as troublemaker. John here says you've been giving him a hard time." Turley glanced at John and nodded. "But I think we can settle this in a mannerly fashion. Tell me again John, what happened?" Sergeant Turley held up a large hand, one that would Rival Rhuryc's hand in size. In fact, excluding that Turley was built almost entirely of muscle, no doubt a sign of extreme dedication to his physical fitness, the two of them were nearly the same size and height. After John told his part of the story, Turley would face Rhuryc, giving him a nod, allowing him next to tell his side of the story. It was only fair that the knights would hear out both parties. Surely John would be favored in any decision, simply because the knights were biased, they looked after each other like family, if not better than, but nevertheless, Rhuryc was allowed his own turn. Punishment without fair trial wasn't true justice anyway. Really, this matter seemed quite trivial to Turley, hence the reason he didn't particularly ask for an audience or 'jury' of sorts for the decision. It wasn't like there was a murder anyway.

[John Griffin]

John furrowed his brow at Rhuryc's statements. "No groveling is necessary." Was the man going to try to make him look bad in front of his leader? John hoped not. Angry citizens put a dent into the careers of Knights as much as the knights themselves. Best to solve this as cordially and professionally as possible. John already felt he had let his own irritations affect his actions the previous night.

John nodded. "That's him, Sergeant," he said, confirming Rhuryc's identity. He crossed his arms, preparing to tell the tale. "It was about, say...just after dusk, and I was passing near the Wishing Well. Mister Naravane here had just watered the flowers at the well and tossed a coin in. I had initial thoughts that here was a good man, as he was watering those flowers without anyone asking him to. I was curious as to why, maybe a family member had fallen ill after drinking from the well, or something of that sort." He paused to scratch his face. "So I greeted Mister Naravane, who went for his sword. Luckily for both of us, he never drew it, and we engaged in what started out to be a civil conversation. I was just curious, and he thought I was being intrusive and abusive with authority. Words grew hotter, from both sides I must admit, before he threw the bucket he was carrying to the ground, where it broke into pieces. I told him he needed to pick them up, and he refused, instead throwing his blade to me, as if I was going to arrest him. I held it instead as collateral on a fine for littering. Then we parted ways."

As John listened to himself explain it, the whole situation seemed sillier and sillier. He was ashamed, really. He should have been able to control the situation better.

"Oh," he said, remember. "I went back to the Well later, to clean up the mess." He glanced at Rhuryc curiously. "But it was gone."

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc shot John a quizzical look. No humor then? Fine. He bobbed his head and turned toward the two, only now just giving this sergeant a thorough once over. He had never me another human as tall as himself. There was an instant respect prevalent in Rhuryc's eyes, like some kind of forlorn kinship. He offered the Knight a curt nod - a half bow of sorts - and waited patiently as John spoke. The particulars were all in order and the man found himself relieved when there was no added embellishment. Mister Naravane? Rhuryc almost snorted. Silly. In all the man lent a quiet ear to the story and found himself nodding in agreement, in no such state to tell lies. The way he would have put it would have been a bit harsher, but the diplomacy of his knightly adversary was admirable.

"There's not really much of a side to take. Sir Griffin pegged most of it on the head." Rhuryc shrugged, his hands leaving his pockets to fold up over his chest. The gesture held no meaning, it was just more comfortable. "Although I would add I went for my sword because it was dark and I was facing away. Even in Syliras you can't be too careful, but in any case he got the majority of it."

He grinned and added, recalling John's own mention of the splintered bucket. "I ah, cleaned it up afterward. Some idiot was bound to stub his toe on the pieces or something."

[Leviathan]

OOCGood news! Dusk approved this guy, he is now an NPC. I will be using him on occasion for things, as well as playing a large role in Rhuryc's upcoming quest thingy. However, he is put in a different regiment than John Griffin, so he would not specifically be John's direct go-to guy, but if John wanted, we could say they're friends, or maybe Turley was a good friend to his father or something, so that it would still make sense to assist John on his time off. Whatever you think. The Knight Sergeant listened to John's story, and from the very beginning there was a faint smirk curled up through his lips. This little squabble turned out to be nothing better than a childish disagreement. After John gave his piece and Rhuryc agreed to it, Sergeant Turley chuckled heartily as he walked over to Rhuryc. He extended his hand to shake, and once that greeting was accomplished, the muscular knight handed him back to sword. He then turned to John, still smiling. "Knight Griffin, I find no serious offence in this, if you wish we can pursue the matter, perhaps we can get the man exiled from Syliras (which was a fairly common punishment for many crimes), but I see no bother. You both are young, your youthful behaviors are still, strong." Turley nodded, he clearly wasn't big on rhetoric or stylistic language. He did see something in them though. Fire, something that made him like them both (he always liked John, but this new little appearance when confronted by Rhuryc was impressive). He handed John two gold rimmed mizas. "Go buy some drinks, talk this over some beer, ale... wine if that's what you two fancy... Turley chuckled again at the mention of wine. ... and you can come to me if the problem continues. Try not to kill each other." Sergeant Turley gave both men a nod of respect before walking away, yet he couldn't help but chuckle out loud, which was still audible, as he was walking away. Sergeant Turley everyone.

[John Griffin]

John was not surprised to find that Rhuryc had picked up the bucket fragments. Who else, other than the man who had watered the flowers near the well of his own volition? He had held a slight hope that Rhuryc had not picked them up out of spite, and that some other doer-of-good-deeds had picked up the shards. He was glad, however, that Rhuryc had not chosen to exaggerate the events, nor make false claims. In truth, it spoke volumes about the man's character. John took the light chastisement well, realizing his error. What had happened to his patience last night? I'm only human, I suppose. But I shall endeavor to henceforth be the shining example of chivalry and knighthood, he vowed silently.

He looked at the two miza's in his hand, shining brightly against the contrast of his palm. For a moment he considered simply giving Rhuryc one and taking his leave, hopefully never to see the man again. Something inside him disagreed, and he figured it wouldn't hurt to go have a drink. John's eyes lifted from the coins to to tall man still standing before him.

"Ever been to the Rearing Stallion, Nar...Rhuryc?"

OOCCool. John's father is about 50, so maybe Turley was his first (or only) squire? Just a thought. Thanks for helping out here Levi. Rhuryc, you want to have a continuation thread? Or just do it in this one?

[Rhuryc]

A wave of relief washed over the man's body. With his sword returned to him Rhuryc felt like a piece of his soul was back. He had gone through too much for that damn blade to have it confiscated by the Knights. Hell, had it been taken permanently he would have most likely died mounting an assault on the castle itself. That was an amusing thought. Shaking his head, Rhuryc raised a single hand and offered a half-sort-of-wave to the Sergeant, convinced that he liked the man. His gaze also fell to the mizas and he ignored the jingle in his own pockets. He had brought a hefty sum in the event that the fine was steep and the two, shining coins seemed to pale in comparison. Honestly, he didn't seem to care whether or not he received anything.

Who hasn't?" With a shrug the man turned about and eyed the way out, his hands once again returning to his pockets. That appeared to be his 'casual poise', if anything. "Little early for drinks, but I've got the rest of the day to waste. So long as you can hold your ale, Grijohn," Rhuryc butchered the name on purpose, once more taking a stab at humor.

"By your lead."

OOCI didn't set a location in the title, so it'd be fine to just continue it here.

[John Griffin]

John guffawed softly, understanding Rhuryc's joke. He dropped the coins into his purse and started on the way to the Stallion. His left thumb was hooked on his belt just above the dangling sword, but his right arm was kept free. It was a habit bred into him from the earliest age. Keep your sword arm free as much as possible, even in the most benign of situations. "Lunch as well, then?" he asked. It was earlier than he normally visited the Stallion, and in truth he had never gone there while the sun was still out. "I can old my ale, you can count on that."

It occurred to John that Rhuryc was much different than he had pegged him the night before. Actually, I might have pegged him right on the first go, he thought. Then I changed my mind. He walked in near silence, feeling awkward. After a few minutes of leading he decided to pipe up. After all, they would have to talk eventually.

"So...erm...Rhuryc. What is it that...uh...you do?" He felt weird asking, but it was the first thing that had come to mind.