Like Peas in a Pod

by **Wynn Argall** on June 28th, 2014, 10:44 pm

The eighteenth day of Summer, 514 AV

Wynn stared up at the ceiling in his empty room, tracing the cracks and holes in the mixture of wood and stone above him. His finger moved the length of the lesions, though the ceiling was too far to touch, he had closed one eye to get a better perception of the veritable map above him. There was silence all around him, and having no roommates made that quiet all the deeper as the only sounds were his own shallow breaths when he was bothered to breathe at all. Letting his arm fall to land splayed across his chest, Wynn winced as the soreness that seemed to constantly cling to his muscles was brought to the forefront of his attention for what felt as though it were the millionth time. He had been taking his training more seriously ever since the beginning of the season when he'd had his short but sweet visit with Abathur. Everything afterwards had been a storm of training, patrolling, and, of course, the Shield Games. Attempting to roll onto his side, Wynn pushed past his body's resistance until he was facing the rest of the room with a grimace.

The sleeping area, as most of the typical rooms, was sparsely decorated. At one point in time there had been a rickety wooden stand next to the bed directly across from Wynn's where Abathur had stacked an impressive tower of literature upon for late night reading. There were fixings on each of the four walls for candles to be placed and lit, but Wynn had never bothered to replace most of them once they'd burned out. At present, there was only a single candle at half-mast flickering on the wall that was directly opposite the heavy, wooden door. The three beds were placed from one side of the square room with their heads towards the back wall next to each other with a few feet's distance between them. There wasn't a whole lot of space between both the side of the beds and the wall as well as the head of the bed and its respective wall. The walls themselves were the typical stone masonry that was fairly constant throughout the many halls and structures of Syliras. The floor as a cool, flat flagstone that, no matter what the temperature outside, almost always managed to be chilly to the touch.

Wynn let out a little sigh, allowing himself for the first time in days a little bit of wallowing. Once upon a time, he would have had the company of Abathur to both entertain and provoke stimulating conversation with. As of now, there were only the few squires who shared the common room in the other sleeping rooms - none of whom were particularly interested in fraternizing with Wynn. It wasn't that he was all that unappealing, but the other squires were - for the most part - all under the same patrons. In some cases, they were merely friends prior to becoming squires. Wynn was an outsider, and though they certainly didn't treat him with malice, he existed as a sort of non-entity. The only times they ever paid attention to him would be when he would walk into the bathing room at awkward moments. Some of the boys were rather close with each other.

It was late enough that the common room had long since been cleared of any conversation or merriment that had been taking place in the bells before. Thus, when the outer door was opened and low, hushed voices filed in, Wynn found the whole thing curious enough to push himself up and out of bed, a low groan escaping his lips as his abdomen protested the action with fervor. He heard the sound of the outer door shutting, followed by footsteps milling about the common room. Dressed only in his skivvies, Wynn scratched his stomach and looked around for - at the very least - his pants. The partial light of the dying candle had been enough to lay about and stare at the emphasized shadows of the cracks in the ceiling, but now that he had a specific target in mind, his squinting eyes had a difficult time discerning the location of his clothing. After a few short moments, Wynn remembered he'd left his clothes in the common room after arriving back rather early for the day and enjoying the freedom that came with a lack of restrictive armor and cloth.

Deciding the potential for an intruder in the common room was more important than wearing pants, Wynn shuffled over to the bedroom door and pushed it open, the hinges creaking as they fidgeted beneath the weight of the wood they supported. Blinking into the glare of the sudden light of the room outside, Wynn stood in the doorway, squinting at the two figures in the room for several beats before he was able to make out specifics. Immediately he recognized Miss Marianna, her usual soft-eyed smile turning her lips into a pleasant, motherly curve. Though, at present, she had a raised brow at Wynn's current state of dress. "Wynn? Is that anyway to greet a guest?" Turning his attention to the figure beside Miss Marianna, Wynn tilted his head in appraisal. He was taller than Wynn, though not by much, and had a frame that was similar to the scrawny squire version of Abathur. He wore on his face a similar expression of inquiry that was tinted with the telltale signs of traveler's weariness. Inclining his head to the young man, Wynn offered a short bow first too Miss Marianna then to the new arrival.

"Ah... Welcome! I'm Wynn. Er-" He shook his head, unsure if he were supposed to introduce himself as a squire. "Squire Argall of the Purple Company under Ser Normit." Shaking his head, he offered a smile, and in closure, "I apologize, it's late." Miss Marianna gave Wynn an understanding nod of her head and a smile before giving the other boy a little push. "This," She gave a small gesture in the young man's direction, ""Is Squire Martell. He's to be your new roommate." Blinking in surprise, Wynn started back at the blue eyed man with little but astonishment on his face.

He'd figured a roommate would be arriving soon what with the change of seasons as well as the simple fact there was a constant flow of squires both into and out of the Order. Still, for some reason he'd imagined his future roommates to be a bit more physically impressive than the man before him. It wasn't that he lacked any sort of visible strength, merely that that strength seemed less suited for armor as a sword. Realizing his mouth had slightly fallen agape, Wynn blinked several times to diffuse his confusion and offer a welcoming smile. Any company, however different from his expectation was welcome. "Oh! Well, pleasure to make your acquaintance, Squire Martell." He saluted his newly acquainted roommate, though the action's inherent respect was rather diminished by his small-clothes. Once names were exchanged, Miss Marianna excused herself to attend to other matters, leaving the two alone in the common room together. Clicking his tongue to fill the silence, Wynn gave Squire Martell an inquisitive look. "So... How-" Unsure, Wynn finished lamely with, ""How are you?"

by **Balian Martell** on July 2nd, 2014, 9:38 pm

Balian trudged behind Miss Marianna, who he had first met only moments before. His feet dragged and his shoulders slumped under the weight of the new armour that he wore, however he wore a satisfied grin of a successful day; he finally met his Patron Knight after all. He had arrived to the fortress city of Syliras late that night, after traveling from the Mithryn Outpost. After the day’s excitement Balian was eager to get some rest, so he was grateful when Miss Marianna introduced herself and explained that she would be taking him to his assigned dormitory. The common room, which Miss Marianna explained was shared by the squires who had separate dormitories, was altogether plain, as rooms went. There where chairs and tables, no doubt to be used for the squires studies, as well as areas to be used for recreation. It was efficient and without excess; a trait that Balian had been attributing the knights for a long while now. A sound somewhere infront of him drew his attention from his sourroundings. He had forgotten to ask if there was any one else in his dormitory, so when the nearly naked boy stepped out of the door, Balian was taken by surprise.

In the doorway stood a young man, of middling height, only an inch or so shorter than Balian himself. He wore only his skivvies, revealing his athletic build which Balian, hating to admit it, slightly envied. The man had at first a concerned look, as if he had been preparing to fend off introducers, however it was quickly replaced first by confusion, then followed by understanding as Miss Marianna spoke, slightly reprimanding him of the state of his dress, and then introducing Balian to his new roommate.

"This” she said, gesturing to Balian "is Squire Martell. He's to be your new roommate." Balian nodded his head at the man infront, confirming what Miss Marianna had just asserted as averting his eyes to the state of his undress. He had noticed a pair of pants lying in the common room, and he now had little doubt as to whom they belonged to. He also noticed the perplexed look that Wynn, as he had introduced himself, had as Miss Marianna had stated the new living arrangements. Balian couldn’t blame him, as squires went, he wasn’t all to impressive. It wasn’t that he lacked muscles; he was relatively in shape, he it was just that the rest of his body hadn’t caught up with his growth spurt. Also, he sure that the fact that he was still unaccustomed to wearing armour, and it showed had a part to play in it. Squire Argall quickly recovered however, and saluted to him as he greeted Balian. Balian, in turn could only really muster a half hearted wave in his state.

“How-“ Miss Marianna had already left the two boys by now “How are you?” Wynn asked. Balian returned with a good natured grin, “Well, thank you. Just o’bit tired from travel’n. Do you mind stand’n aside so that I can put all this way?” he said, motioning to his gear both worn and on the pack on his back. When the lad infront of him moved from the doorway, Balian made his way in. Whereas the common room was efficient, this room as bearably simple; three beds all lined up against the wall with trunks for the squires belongings at the foot of each. He briefly wondered if that was because Wynn hadn’t put the effort to decorate it, or if it wasn’t allowed. He made a mental note to ask about that. Balian choose the bed furthest from the door, the one with a night stand between it and the wall and placed his pack on the bed, letting out a sigh of relief. The first thing he did was to untie his grandfather’s sword that he had carefully placed on top of the pack, and with just as much care stored it within the trunk. He proceeded to do the same with the rest of his belongings, starting first with his clothing in the pack, then followed by the pieces of armour that he wore. “My name is Balian, by the way, not just ‘Squire Martell…” he said as he unpacked, trying hard not to seem unfriendly. “…and my Patron is Sera Lin, since you were kind enough t’tell me who yours was.” he continued not without a hint of pride at finally having a patron, inviting Wynn to move the conversation into the room.

by **Wynn Argall** on July 6th, 2014, 11:12 pm

He was from the Outpost. It was the first thing that struck Wynn as the other newly appointed squire spoke. Not everyone from Mithryn had the accented drawl, but when they did they were most certainly attached to the Outpost in some way or form. His friendly smile twitched into a wider grin that was covered up by Wynn rubbing his nose and lips as if he'd had an itch. He had a fondness for accents, different ways to pronounce the oh-so-mundane Common he'd been raised on. Accents weren't very rare at all in Syliras, but they were certainly diverse. Stepping back out of the way, Wynn let the other man pass, making sure to give him plenty of room. He'd noticed the other boy had been loathe to look Wynn in the eye, something he had decided to attribute to his current state of undress. As Squire Martel passed, Wynn glared around the room, in search of an artifact to put his new roommate a bit more at ease. Spying his trousers lying in a clump next to a couple books he'd borrowed from Tareesa, Wynn darted over and stuck his feet into the pantlegs. Wiggling his way into the fitted britches, Wynn left the drawstring untied, not wanting to take too long out in the common room while the other squire unpacked. He'd been carrying what seemed like quite a bit, and if he'd been paying attention correctly, multiple suits of armor.

Wynn poked his head into the sleeping room just as Squire Martel claimed Abathur's old bed. A sharp pang of nostalgia pulled Wynn's curious smile into a sombre frown. Shaking his head and slapping his cheeks, Wynn stepped into the room, his frown giving way to his once more amiable curve of the lips. As the young man reintroduced himself as Balian, Wynn nodded, offering an understanding shake of the head. Around the Order, if one was a squire, one was often only remembered as such. Among squires, however, first names were much preferred to surnames, given many squires were cousins, siblings, or children of others with a shared name. Moseying over to the middle bed, Wynn plopped himself down on the disorderly sheets, watching Balian carefully unstrap an impressive looking sword and place it into his trunk. He let out a soft whistle as the single candle's light glinted off of the elegant steelwork. Though he was not a sword savvy individual, even a common man would have found the blade to be an impressive piece of work. As Balian began to unpack his clothing from his rucksack, he offered his own patron's name.

Wynn tilted his head in thought at the mention of Sera Lin. He knew of one, but it was possible there were more. It was far too late for him to be doing too much digging into his memories in search of specifics, so instead he nodded, signaling he'd both heard the name and didn't have much to say about it. There was a glowing, tired pride in Balian's grin and voice as he stated his patron's name, something Wynn had felt the first time he'd said similar words regarding his own Ser Normit. Once the clothes were packed away, Balian started on his armor. Feeling both useless and a bit of a voyeur, Wynn fiddled with the drawstring of his pants before deciding to help. He stood up, clearing his throat, and helped to unbuckle the more difficult to reach pieces. "Well, Balian," He struggled with a buckle that had been nocked a bit tighter than it should have. "I'm glad to have you." Stepping back so the other squire could remove the rest of his armor, Wynn leaned against the wall, his smile having faded some as he stared at what had, up until a few chimes ago, been Abathur's bed.

For a time, he'd thought perhaps Abathur might return to the dormitories, forsaking the privileges of a knight's boarding to remain with him. Now, however, it seemed that Abathur was not coming back, and Balian was going to take his place. Biting on his knuckle, Wynn let out a short sigh before he realized it very much appeared as though he were staring at the now unarmored Balian. The young man had had quite the journey, it seemed, as his shirt was more or less soaked with sweat from both the day's heat and the journey's length - as well as whatever demands Sera Lin had placed upon him. Clearing his throat again, Wynn gave Balian an apologetic grin. "I apologize, I'm not quite all here." Motioning at Balian's apparent state of wear and tear, Wynn offered a suggestion. "If you'd like, the bath room is two doors down on the left. No one's in there, and the water should still be a bit warm." Usually the first to bathe left the coals hot for whoever followed until the last usually had about lukewarm water by the time they were able to bath - of course that usually only occurred when the entire suite decided they wanted to bathe. Usually, two or three of them would bathe in a day, and the water was generally fairly clean and stayed relatively hot throughout the day. Judging from the weary smile on Balian's face, Wynn figured the bath would be a bit welcome. "There's soaps and such in there, but I'd suggest staying away from the one labeled 'Perfection'. Squire Rottam will have your head if he smells that on you." He offered a nonchalant shrug.

by **Balian Martell** on July 9th, 2014, 2:16 am

Your words I My Words I My Thoughts

Balian heard his new roommate enter and plop himself onto the middle bed. He had put on a pair of trousers, much to Balians relief however he did not show it. Wynn sat on the bed content to watch him unpack. He might have cared if he was so tired. He heard the other boy let out a soft whistle as he put away his grandfather’s sword; however he made no show of hearing it, not wanting to draw attention to it. He had packed his clothing ontop of the sword, and once that was all unpacked, he had removed his armour, although he had some difficulty with one particularly tight strap of his guardbrace. Wynn must have seen as he stood up and helped him with it, finally achieving to remove it. “M’thanks” Balian muttered as he continued to remove his armour.

Before long, Balian was left in only his tunic, his pants, and his boots; which he quickly removed as well. All that remained where to put away the round shield that the Ser Toth had given him, as well as the loaner sword and bow. By this point, it was Balians turn to sit on the bed, this time his own. He leaned back a bit, bracing arms on the bed against his weight and let out a sigh of relief. “I am glad t’be here as well, Wynn”. He looked over at his new roommate, who appeared to be lost in thought. He wondered briefly where he was from; he didn’t recognize him from the Outpost, however that didn’t mean much as he did seem a few summers older than himself. Most likely he was from the city itself, but Balian did entertain the possibility of his new acquaintance being from some far off place, with tales of exploration and adventure. He rather liked that idea. A smile began to form as he began to imagine the sorts of tales he might have…perhaps he had a run with bandits? Or met with some strange creatures? Or perhaps he kne….a sound interrupted his fanciful thinking, startling him back to reality.

“I apologize, I’m not quire all here”. Balian looked over and saw Wynn motion to him, to his state of dress it seemed, "If you'd like, the bath room is two doors down on the left. No one's in there, and the water should still be a bit warm.” Balian nodded in acknoladgemennt “Yes, a good bath should feel nice. I could get all this sweat off me.” And he sure it would too, however first he wanted to get to know who he would mostlikely be spending his free time with, here in his room. “Where y’from Wynn? Here abouts, or from some o’ther place?” he asked, cocking his head to the side in honest curiosity. Pushing his exhaustion to the side, he continued “Got any good tales t’tell?”

by **Wynn Argall** on July 16th, 2014, 10:17 pm

At Balian's questions regarding Wynn's origins, he simply grinned and shook his head. "I was born and raised within the walls." Scratching an itch on his side, Wynn shrugged off the second bit of the other young man's question. He could tell Balian wasn't quite ready for the solitude of a bath, but unfortunately Wynn didn't have a whole lot to talk about regarding his personal history. "Tales..." The word passed through his lips like a sigh as he stared off past the top of Balian's head and into his own memories. Having grown up in a tavern for the prior half of his life, he'd heard plenty of stories, though the chances of even a fraction of the being true were a bit skewed by both alcohol and posturing. As a squire, he'd spent the majority of his time forcing his way into training sessions and staying up late with Abathur in an attempt to better himself. It didn't leave a whole lot of room for exciting narratives to develop, though he'd certainly collected his fair share of bruises both physical and emotional. Frowning, he brought his gaze back to his newly acquainted roommate's face, "I was stabbed once." It had been less of a stabbing and more of an accident that had resulted in Linnae and Tareesa becoming friends with him and Abathur, though at the cost of a scar and several days in bed. A grin creeped across his face once more as he remember the complete chaos that had ensued shortly after: everyone darting about, blood all over Ser Normit's carpets, and his patron calmly giving orders to his panicked squires. It had been a mess, but Wynn found it a fond memory.

"Aside from that... I was raised in the bowels of the city." Having already placed Balian's point of origin at the Outpost, Wynn wasn't sure what all the other boy knew about the city. "My mother is a barmaid and my father a smith." Feeling rather bland, Wynn offered another shrug, "I haven't done all that much, I'm afraid." Despite his disappointed tone, Wynn didn't feel all that much shame in having yet to done anything deserving laud. He was a squire, and squires weren't knights. Knights had missions while squires had training. Once he was finally knighted, he had little doubt that he'd begin to accumulate his fair share of tales. Until then, he contented himself with the assurance of the eventual. He did not, however, wish to put a damper on the conversation. While not an incredibly sociable man, Wynn had little desire to put other people in a position of discomfort. "What about you, Balian?" What exactly, Wynn wasn't certain. He left the question open, hoping the other squire would fill in whatever meaning best suited him. Pushing away from his rest against the wall, he ambled back to the bed, sitting back down upon it to face his roommate with a friendly smile.

[ooc]Sorry for the shorter post! Conversations and combat always suck up my word count, haha[/ooc]

by **Balian Martell** on July 28th, 2014, 7:09 pm

Your words I My Words I My Thoughts

“Me? Not much t’tell, really.” Balian sat up, and scratched the side of his head for a moment, before continuing to speak. “I’m from the Outpost. Not much adventurin’ aside from the occasional day where ye skipped work. My Father is a knight, stationed at’the outpost, and me mother worked the fields. We weren’t allowed outside th’walls at night.” While it was true that his life at Mithryn was relatively uneventful, Balian took for granted the fact that at life at the outpost was easy, and that it offered more room both around the outpost and outside as opposed to Syliras. He was not used to the confining space that was the fortress city, and did not know if something that he found boring would be found interesting by someone from the city.

“My father would take me hunting in the Bronze Wood sometimes” he said, in an attempt to cover the silence that had crept into the room. “Taught me the basics of hunting an’tracking, he did. That about it.” He felt bad that he could not tell any more interesting stories. Truth be told it was one of the reasons that he had consented to joining the order. Living at the outpost he had felt limited; trapped. He knew if he didn’t do something he would end up like every one else; either as a farmer or some sort of tradesmen. While those were noble paths in life, for Balian, they were not enough. The Order offered the promise to expand his horizons, so he took it. And now he was here, meeting new people and beginning new adventures. Or at least he hoped. He looked over his new roommate once more. he was large, larger than Balian at least, and he looked like he had a fair amount of muscle. Hadn’t he said that his father was a smith?

“So, Wynn. You said yer father was a smith? Learn any of the trade?” Despite his thirst for adventure, Balian had always been fascinated by the blacksmiths trade, of taking raw metal and transforming it into tools to be used. His father held the smiths of Mithryn in high regard, and that respect had transferred over to his son.

by **Wynn Argall** on August 18th, 2014, 5:45 am

Balian seemed to regard his own life much in the same way Wynn regarded his. Though their experiences differed, it was apparent neither thought the other would find much interest in the other's life, something Wynn was willing to accept for the moment. He'd never been much for wistful daydreams in the shoes of another, and the Outpost had already fallen from any sort of delusional pedestal it might have stood on after the countless stories of tedium he'd heard from both knight and squire alike. Still, Wynn raised an impressed brow at the other young man at the mention of skipping work. That was something he'd never done on purpose, as it was both incredibly difficult and extremely frowned upon to do so. For a brief tick, Wynn wondered what one was supposed to do during a "skipped day", but let the thought slide back into his stream of consciousness as Balian continued. With the vocation of both his parents given, Wynn figured Balian's reason for joining the knighthood was most likely tied (or entirely attributed) to his father's station. Nodding in understanding at the mention of the curfew, Wynn gave off what nonverbal air he could that the same rule applied to the city. Once Leth began to ascend into the night sky, only knights (and those with special permission) were allowed outside the safety of the walls. Syliras was a bastion of hope against a hostile world, but that bulwark came with plenty of shackles designed to keep its populace safe.

Wynn had been a bit distracted at the thought of what might lurk beneath the shadow of the moon, letting the room fall into silence as Balian gave him the chance to respond. Deciding that Wynn wasn't going to say anything, the other young man continued, pulling Wynn's attention back into the conversation with a bit of flush of pink to his cheeks. His new roommate eked out what little more information he could muster, finishing with hunting. Wynn had never found animals to be all that wonderful, but the idea of killing them - if even for necessity - to be something his palate couldn't quite handle. Tracking, on the other hand, was an incredibly useful skill. Nodding his interest, Wynn offered, "Perhaps you might take us camping then?" It was more of a jest with a tinge of earnest invitation rather than a full blown suggestion, but any chance Wynn could get to take another step closer towards knighthood he would take. If Balian did decide to lead a trip into the woods for a night or two, Wynn had a fairly good feeling both Tareesa and Linnae would be accompanying them. He'd spent enough time with the two girls to know that Balian was just the sort of young man Tareesa found to be the most appealing, and if Tareesa was interested in something Linnae was almost surely found somewhere nearby in an attempt to muck it up. Wynn's lips had curled into an amused smile as he imaged the two girls fighting over the newly arrived squire, and it only grew as Balian tossed another question his way.

"'If it's red, don't touch it because it's petching hot'." Imitating the gruff rumble of his father's voice before chuckling. "And that would be the extent of my knowledge." He sighed, leaning back onto the bed and giving Balian a shrug. "I'm not..." He clicked his tongue, squinting slightly in thought. "Not the quickest learner." Another shrug was followed by a shake of his head. "But someday I might get him to teach me a bit more." It was unlikely. He didn't get to see his parents very often, and when he did, they only seemed to be interested (and always surprised) at his progress, however slow. There was almost never any talk of trade or what they considered to be the monotony of their own lives. It was a shame, as the majority of their conversations were only able to continue on for so long on a single subject. As the conversation began to lull once more, Wynn thought to move the focus from families and onto something more benign. "Have you seen much of the city?"

by **Balian Martell** on August 25th, 2014, 6:44 pm

Your Words I My Words I My Thoughts

Balian mistook his new roommates smile for enthusiasm for his camping Idea. In truth, he didn’t think that he was skilled enough to actually lead a camping trip, at least not yet, but with just the right amount of practice he was sure that he could reach that level. He returned the smile, as the thought continued to grow and take hold, the more it sounded like a good idea. He had always enjoyed the outdoors, the thought of actually spending a few days out in the wilderness appealed to him like little else could, and if it forced him to improve his skills to accomplish it, all the better. Yes, this camping idea suited Balian just fine.

He listened intently to what Wynn had to say of his father, and even chuckled politely when it was appropriate, staying quiet when it wasn’t. He was too sure how to respond to Wynn’s comment regarding his learning process, he himself have no difficulty other than finding something that was worth learning. So, he stayed quiet throughout most of Wynn’s explanation, until he had no more to say and silence once more enveloped the room. Balian was in the middle of deciding if he should let the conversation end there and go take his bath, or continue it, when Wynn made the decision for him. “Have you seen much of the city”? He asked. Balian shook his head almost immediately. “This is th’first real time that I’v been t’the city, an’ I’ve only just got ‘ere…” he responded. He yawned, halfway through replying, giving his voice a more bellowy tone, which only served to emphasize his last point. Recovering from the yawn, He continued. “…so I can’ say that I’ve seen t’much of the city. The only other time I’ve been was when I was younger, with m’father. I would, however, like t’get t’know the area ‘round the city. ‘Round Mythrin there are mostly fields, with the Woods not t’close by, so yes, that campin’ idea sound like a good one t’me.”

The fatigue was starting to get to him; weary from the days travels, he was eager to peel off the rest of his cloths and take that bath that Wynn had mentioned before. He got up and rummaged through his things, getting what he planned to wear change into after. Silence had once again entered the room, but Balian was too tired to notice, caring only in taking his bath and then getting some sleep for the morrow.