16th of Spring, 515 AV
Orin once again found himself sent off to the Bronze Woods in search of something. It was getting to be an almost predictably regular occurrence now. Rondo or Remi would decide they absolutely had to have something fresh for their kitchen and Orin would be sent off like a good little boy to go fetch it. This time, though Orin had put his foot down and made some demands of his own. Almost every time Orin ventured into these woods something terrible occurred. Whether it was yukmen or wild animals or something even more ridiculous and dangerous, Orin seemed to run into it. For someone who hadn’t wanted adventure in his life, Orin sure ran into what appeared to be more than his fair share of it. All this was to say that Orin agreed to gather any fresh spring greens that he could discover out here as long as he was provided an escort.
Remi and Rondo had grumbled and griped about the fact that it wasn’t quite necessary but Orin had held firm. His life was not worth some lousy plants. So, they’d agreed to put in a request with the Order for a protective escort. Orin probably would have been rejected if he alone had gone but with Remi and Rondo’s backing and Ser Kevith’s tacit approval it had been approved. So Orin found himself with company as he picked his way through the trees.
Orin kept a sharp eye out for anything that looked remotely edible. It was still early in the season so Orin didn’t expect that he could actually find much but going back empty handed was out of the question. Berries wouldn’t be available until the summer and fall, and most fruits and vegetables were the same. So, despite the fact that Orin knew this was a lost cause he’d gone along with it. Honestly, Orin would take any opportunity he could to get out of the kitchen at The Rearing Stallion. Remi was lovely and Rondo was a wonderful chef and a great teacher, if not the nicest man. But Orin had been starting to feel that he’d reached the limits of what he could learn in Syliras. He could stay here and simply eke out a living for the rest of his life but that idea didn’t sound at all appealing. Or, Orin could take the plunge and explore the wide world and everything it had to offer. It was a terrifying idea but it called to Orin in the night as he lay staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. There had to be more to see than the same woods and the same walls day in day out. Orin knew there were exotic locations that had new dishes to sample and new people to meet and new places to explore. Cities Orin had only read about or heard about in rumor, so he had to paint them in with his imaginations adding color, scents, sounds and tastes. If the reality didn’t measure up to Orin’s hopes, then Syliras would still be here waiting.
Of course, as he had been daydreaming, he had been completely ignoring the man next to him. He was blue-eyed and blonde and just a touch taller than Orin himself. He’d shown up at the appointed time and set off with Orin. ”I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier. I’m Orin Fenix and as you guessed I work at The Rearing Stallion. Thank you so much for agreeing to this, or at least, I assumed you agreed or volunteered or something, correct me if I’m wrong. You wouldn’t believe some of the trouble I’ve ran into out here.” Orin examined the man out of the corner of his eye. His skin was tanned and he carried himself with the ease that came from training one’s body. Orin knew he probably looked incredibly awkward and gangly next to this fellow.
The man was young looking, although he tried to disguise that with a beard that was more just the barest hint of stubble. Orin kept himself clean-shaven since he knew he would look silly with the patchy attempt at a beard he would try to grow. ”So you’re a knight then? I mean you came from the Knighthood so I just assumed you would be a knight I guessed.” Actually, Orin would be shocked if this man was a full knight but Orin also didn’t think they assigned tasks like this to squires. Of course, Orin’s knowledge of the inner workings of the Syliran Order was essentially non-existent at best. So maybe they did let squires out of the city walls every once and a while. Or maybe they did take knights at a very young age. Orin didn’t know one way or another and he’d always been afraid to ask questions of the Order. They didn’t seem the type to tolerate idiocy and Orin knew he came off as less than bright with his prattling tongue.
Rambling speech or no, it would only be polite to draw the man into conversation. They weren’t hunting so Orin didn’t need to worry about scaring off game, although he still died try to keep his voice low enough not to attract unwanted attention. ”So are you, well from around here or from abroad? I’m from Mithryn Outpost myself and this is only my second season in Syliras. It’s been great though. How about you? I mean, how long have you been in Syliras, and with the Order. I mean, I’m guessing you’ve been here way longer than I have seeing as you’re involved with the Order.” Orin let his tongue have free reign for a while, but belatedly remembered that sometimes people didn’t like conversation. And even if they liked conversation they didn’t like having Orin talk at them endlessly. ”You don’t have to respond to any of that or even talk at all if you don’t want to. Also, if I’m getting on your nerves tell me. Apparently I have no filter and tend to chatter on inanely unless someone stops me and that someone is almost never myself.” Orin was getting better at halting himself though. He’d had a lot more practice at actually just having a conversation since coming to Syliras. So he was bound to pick up a few tricks along the way.
