An Unexpected Reunion (Dusk, Murmur)

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Season of Winter, Day 22, 510 AV

It was cold, there was no denying that. Not bone chillingly so, but enough that Jaelyn was glad for her cloak as she walked through the woods with her Patron, Raynard. Not that she would say anything, because Raynard would just remind her that there were places much colder, and a Knight should not complain while doing their duty. He was right, a Syliran Knight did not complain while doing their duty, and to be honest there was little enough reason to complain.

Not that Jaelyn was a full Knight yet, but she was striving with all her effort to become one. Just a little more than a year remained in her time as a squire, and it seemed so far, and yet so close. So close to hopefully being able to banish the last of the sadness from her Father's eyes, to see him proud and free of the horrible past.

With a small shake of her head she pushed aside the thoughts of the future, it was time to focus on the now. Her left hand dropped down to touch the pommel of her sword on her hip as she took a slow breath. The presence of the sword was both a reassurance and a focus. She had spent years training with the blade, from the time her father first gave it to her, and she knew it almost as well as she knew herself. It's presence at her side was a reminder that where they were was not a safe place, and so she had to focus on what was going on. There were many things in the wilds that would be dangerous to come upon, from vicious creatures and monsters to ill-intentioned men.

With her mind focused again, she continued to move along behind Raynard, watching for signs of trouble as she waited for word from him as to what to do. She was determined to show during this, her first major trip with him outside Syliras, that she was capable of serving along his side, and well on her path to becoming a full Knight.

[Murmur]

Sir Fren would always remain as the only man who continued to call him Deven, aside from Jartu Rosier. Not like Murmur minded, but sometimes he wondered about the man’s sanity when he assigned him certain missions where he was forced to set out alone, in the middle of the wilds that was notorious for criminals and creatures that could easily cause a grown man to piss his well-earned trousers. A sick sense of humor, was the lasting conclusion, and Murmur didn’t have the balls to question it. He did question the frigidity of the air, however, as it bombarded his cheeks and his eyes in relentless waves. Petch.. He’d forgotten how cold the world was when the presence of Rhysol didn’t deter the full force of Morwen and her petching influence. His hands were shielded in black leather gloves, and he was garbed in an equally black uniform, but carefully chosen to appear as if he might have been just another dumbfounded mercenary on the road. The Bloodbane he rode, however, would easily betray his origins. Sangre huffed in the face of the weather but continued his slow trod along the road then after a few bells in the same staggering pace, Sangre neighed in disapproval and stomped to a stop. “Don’t look at me like that.” Murmur said curtly while his steed whipped his head to the side to eye his rider expectantly. “You honestly believe I’d keep a rotting rabbit carcass for you this entire time? Please.” The horse reared, and Murmur clung to the saddle in irritation more than fear. This wasn’t the first time the bastard of a horse defied him because of silly whims. Not to say Sangre was a bad steed, he was loyal in the face of danger, and always protected his rider fiercely. But Murmur could not keep his Sangre in hunger for much longer, lest he get reprimanded for letting a horse disrupt his patrol of the road. He jumped down from the saddle, dusting off his chest and legs. It was several chimes of searching the muddied floors of the woods, eyeing for scat or any trail that led to a rabbit or a squirrel, something to sate Sangre’s hunger, but seemed that in the wake of a predatory animal, the pests had fled. He shook his head, trudging back to his steed until he heard the sound of footsteps beyond, and when his gray eyes searched the horizon, he found the approaching forms of what appeared to be a man and a young woman. “Well then, Sangre, let’s hope I am not so blatantly obvious to these travelers.” Smile, and all will be well. “Greetings,” Murmur called, carefully pushing his dagger further into the lining of his belt, “Would you two kind individuals have any scraps of meat to spare for a poor traveler? My steed and I suffer much hunger, and the woods are not kind.”

[Dusk]

Raynard chuckled as he and his squire made their way along the trails of the Wildlands, though his eyes remained diligently scouting the woods. "There's a woman over at Elegant Weave who makes woolen undergarments for the Knights," he murmured, cracking a smile at Jaelyn before going back to his observations. "Made to be worn under armor. Might want to invest in a pair of them if you're going to be such a bloody wuss about the cold," he snickered, obviously teasing her. A moment later, though, he held up a fist to signal a halt, and stood absolutely still in the middle of the path. Without the myriad noise of clanking armor, they could clearly hear the sound of a neighing horse just ahead of them on the trail. "Keep your eyes open," he murmured, all business once more. "Could be just a traveler, or it could be bandits. Be prepared to fight if I give the word." And so the two proceeded with a bit more caution, until they rounded the corner and saw that it was (ostensibly) only one man and his horse, which seemed to be giving him a bit of a problem. "Ho, stranger," Raynard called out, eying the man carefully and noting the surreptitious attempt to hide his dagger. He stopped about ten feet away from Murmur as if to keep some safe distance between them. "You're a ways away from civilization out here. What brings you to the Wildlands?" Obviously suspicious, and growing a little more-so as he eyed the Bloodbane. "From Ravok, I presume?" he asked with a tilt of his head towards the horse. Though cautious, he hadn't gone so far as to do something like put a hand to his hilt - no, first he would find out what was going on.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn's cheeks warmed slightly at Raynard's teasing, and she straightened her back. Of course Raynard would know what she was thinking, she had been training with him for almost 4 years, but that didn't stop her from trying to exceed his expectations of her. She would become the best Knight she could, and that meant surpassing even what Raynard expected of her. Maybe then her Father would finally be able to shake free of the past...

"I am fine," she replied to the teasing, and was about to say more but stopped as Raynard lifted his fist. She stilled quickly, and her eyes moved to Raynard. She gave a nod of understanding to his words, her hand squeezing briefly on the pommel of her sword, and she followed Raynard forward once more. There was no more time for idle thoughts and introspective musings. It was time to be a Knight, or at least a Squire with her Patron Knight.

When Jaelyn saw the source of the noise she relaxed some. Removing her hand from her sword she followed Raynard as he approached the man and his horse. The man certainly did not seem dangerous, and it would be rude to appear ready to fight when the man called out a greeting. Giving a polite nod as Raynard spoke her grayish eyes looked over the man and his horse.

The horse was fierce and strong looking, and the man looked like a warrior, or maybe a mercenary by how he was dressed. That might explain why he was out here alone, but it was strange that he didn't seem to have any weapons with him. Maybe they were hidden somewhere?

When Raynard mentioned the man was probably from Ravok Jaelyn's eyes widened slightly. Ravok was not a place friendly to Syliras, but that didn't mean that this man was unfriendly to them. Noticing that Raynard had not reached for his blade yet she did her best to remain calm as well, but her eyes did quickly glance down at her own sword. If a fight came she would be ready, but she wouldn't start anything unprovoked.

[Murmur]

As the travelers he had seen from afar finally came out from under the shade of the foliage overhead, Murmur was surprised to find a Knight of all people treading the woods so confidently. And the girl… There was no doubt in his mind that she must be his squire. He mentally smiled to himself. What a petching predicament he was in, confronted by the face of the just and pure and what did he have to show but his bloodthirsty horse and his thankfully subtle attire. That is, until the Knight decided to really take a gander at what he was wearing. He tried to pass off the awkward silence with a smile. Improvisation at its finest. “Terribly embarrassing for me to say, but I didn’t have the coin to spend for my beastie here,” He patted the firm neck of his steed, “As I was too overzealous about buying myself some new gear and weapons. So I decided, why not go out of my way to feed my hungry companion here, isn’t that right Sangre?” The bloodbane snorted and stomped his hooves on the ground as if approvingly. Murmur continued, “I hadn’t realized how far I’d gone, I suppose. But what’s some time to spare to enjoy the scenery?” He dodged the question regarding his origins and extended his hand in greeting, “The name’s…” He paused, glancing toward a tree for a flicker of a moment, “Leaf. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, sir, miss.” Gray eyes locked onto Jaelyn’s and he seemed to pause once more. Only because something in her own eyes reflected in his. A familiarity, something. What could it be? “Are you Knights by chance?”

[Dusk]

Raynard kept an eye on the man, but he seemed friendly enough for the time being. When he extended his hand and offered a name, he took it and shook it firmly. "Indeed! I am Ser Raynard Darcy and this is my squire, Jaelyn Baroth," he said, nodding to her. "And it's no shame to you. We might be closer to Ravok than Syliras at this point - it's hard to keep track in the Wilderness. But we're set to rendezvous with one of the companies today," he said, making sure to point out that they were not simply two travelers left alone in the woods. He glanced to the woods surrounding them and then to Leaf's backtrail as if to reassure himself that the man truly was alone. "I hope we haven't cost you whatever prey you're hunting. It can be rather scarce up here in the wintertime, I know."

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn nodded her head politely as Raynard introduced her to the man, named Leaf, and when her gaze came back up she caught sight of the man's eyes. Surprise caused her to blink several times as she was caught by the similarity between Leaf's eyes and her Father's. It was certainly not a common eye color, but she doubted that it was anything more than a coincidence.

"A pleasure, Leaf," she said politely as Raynard paused and looked around. No matter if this man was from Ravok or not it was best to be friendly and polite. As Raynard continued to speak to Leaf she did her best to stand still despite the chill in the air. She did her best to divide her attention between Raynard and Leaf even though it was starting to look less and less like there would be a confrontation. Just a simple meeting of travelers on the road.

[Murmur]

Murmur paused. It was suffice to say he froze. The name Raynard spoke in regards to his squire sparked in him something that seemed like a distant fantasy; a past he had been forced to forget. Jaelyn Baroth. Baroth. Where had he heard that name from? The Ebonstryfe glanced at the girl, his brow furrowed. That was what he saw, she looked like him, if only faintly. Had those bastards back in the Vitrax spoken the truth? He gave the two of them a false grin, “A pleasure, ser, young miss. I’m sure your company is not far off, after all, we wouldn’t want any dealings with those shady folk from Ravok.” He glanced behind him, as if he was even expecting Sir Fren to burst out from a bush and apprehend him for being an insubordinate idiot. “It’s quite alright, Ser,” Murmur replied, “It wasn’t for me, but for my lazy steed. But if I may not be so bold as to inquire, your squire… Who is your father?” And he addressed her now, with a gaze that was surprisingly too intense for a man questioning for curiosity.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn thought she had seen something from Leaf, some change in his bearing, but she must have been imaging things as he simply grinned and returned the polite greeting. This was all just a calm and pleasant meeting. Certainly not the normal thing you would expect, but a nice situation.

Then Leaf turned his attention to her, and asked about her Father. Again Jaelyn blinked in surprise. What a strange thing to ask, unless... Could there be more than just coincidence about the color of the man's eyes? After a moment of slightly uncomfortable silence Jaelyn cleared her throat and answered, "My Father is Ser Artriso Baroth, Captain Knight" there was a touch of pride to her voice, as she was very proud of her Father and his position.

After another moment of uncomfortable silence she looked at Leaf straight in the eye and asked, "Might I know why you ask such a thing?"