Fall 56th, Noon Upon a Meadow Before the North Ravok Outpost:
Einar was on the edge of dozing off into shallow slumber to escape the constant aches of his recent injuries when another party spoke up to make its presence apparent.
"You seem to have been through a great deal since we last met, lad."
The old man's voice was uncannily familiar, and thus alerting. Ein's head swiftly shot up from where he laid on the ground, atop the furs of wolf and boar. In the aftermath of his recent ordeals he was half expecting to see Rastmo standing before him, grinning in mockery, snapped neck and all. Ein was halfway through reaching for the dagger at his hip when the appearance of an old, blind soldier and caretaker he'd met some seasons ago became harmlessly clear.
"And you seem on edge something fierce.", Rizzak confirmed warmly.
For a moment the only reply was a sharp, somewhat disappointed, even, grunt. Ever sincr he'd last come to the outpost after his final ordeals with Rastmo and the Wolf-Fiend in the forests, Einar found that the outpost's residents seemed even less fond of him than before. Most folk would frown and skulk away when he'd passed by, others would outright glare at him as if he were not deserving of the breath in his body... ultimately, being shunned so drove him to go and seek an ounce of comfort in lonesome lazing and laying about outside the outpost's walls during daylight hours. At the very least, for the time being, he was settled as far matters of coin went. Though his mood was something rightly spiteful and gloomy.
"What do you want now, old man? If you're here to nag me about giving your brat charge another trashing you might as well bugger off."
"Come now, there is no need for attitude. I am here in good will... And master Motred is away on an errand."
"Then you'd be the first in a cockin' while.", Ein snorted in retort. "I'm surprised you trust that little git to wipe his own arse without supervision.", his memory of the young nobleman whom Rizzak was charged with was rather... sour.
The old soldier gave a surprisingly fond chuckle at his master's ridicule.
"I think he has grown since you two last met... Though I did not come to you to gossip about my young master.", Riz's tone remained pleasant, though it became far more focused. "He is not the only one who has changed since we last met."
Ein was taken a back. He wholly expected the old man to give him an earful over ill manners or some shyke like that... Though he wasn't any more happy about the nonsense that ultimately left Rizzak's gob.
"If you dragged yourself here to see how well you can nag me into submission with your old man wisdom hogwash or what have you, there's an old oak that way who'd likely make a better listener.", the scoffing was accompanied by a wholly dismissive weave of Einar's hand, before he'd realized that he was gesturing for an eyeless bugger and lowered it once again.
"My, why such enmity toward us old men and our wisdom?"
Of course, this old man was one of those, a tenaciously polite and kind bugger. The sort that makes you feel bad for raising a hand at 'em. The sort that Ein oft considered wholly scheming and dishonest... Or wholly stupid. For what man in a right mind sports good spirits for even the failing lowlives that pass him by, unless looking to exploit them somehow?... Yet Rizzak seemed, felt, different somehow.
"World's choke full of wise men scribbling fanciful hogwash onto parchment when they hadn't been out of their rich pa's pawnshop for over a cocking bell at a time. And wouldn't have lasted a chime if they had.", Einar found himself presenting, rather zealously, straightening his posture up into a seat.
"Is that so?"
"Aye."
"You speak belike someone who has been exposed to a great deal of the conventional wisdom you so dismiss... Have you been reading many books yourself?"
It took Einar a moment to catch up and realize that Rizzak's tone meant to deliver his words as a bit of a playful jab, though he didn't reply to it with anything past a brief snort of dismissive laughter.
WC: 730