The Bree-land Free RP

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen
Aislin
Seri's cabin in the Chetwood forest

Once they had left their home, Aislin seemed to bustle with excitement - for a while she walked obediently in step with Seri, and then she sometimes skipped forward, sometimes lagged behind, going on her knees to smell a flower or explore an interesting leaf of grass. She did return back to Seri every so often though just so she would not run off along the wrong road or stay back so far that she lost sight of the healer. Hwinia seemed to keep an eye on her as well though, so the girl felt at ease exploring.

"No, Auntie, you haven't shown me that yet!" she said, skipping a step or two ahead to turn back and look at Seri, as she walked backwards. "But how can she tell various plants apart and know which one of those you exactly mean?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Brooke | Chewy

After watching the ranger brothers set off together to acquire doughnuts, Brooke's attention returned to Celume when she heard her question. "Oh.. um, a few months," She admitted a bit shyly. As Chewy gave up on getting any further petting from Celume, he returned to Brooke's side, sitting next to her and leaned against her leg while his tongue hung out, looking up at her and Celume curiously.

Brooke smiled faintly and rubbed around his ears lightly before looking back up at Celume. "I.. um, I've managed to keep him secret, so far," She explained. "My stepmother wouldn't let me keep him, but.. he won't leave me," She shrugged and looked down again. "I wasn't sure what to do, but.. I've grown very attached to him." She said softly. "I didn't expect to run into her.. now she'll probably tell Claire about him..." And then Brooke would get in trouble, though she left that bit out. She wasn't sure what to expect, with this situation. Her stepmother would definitely not let her keep a dog.

Hugging her arms around herself, Brooke chose instead to address the sort-of-question, about her plans. "I.. really don't want to go home. I was hoping maybe.. if I could help you look for what you need to find in there, then I wouldn't have to as soon." She glanced toward the record hall, then down again. "There's.. um, not a whole lot of folks around these parts who can read. I'm one of those few." She added, quietly, sort of meaning it as, 'this is why I could be useful'. "In fact, it's.. one of the very few things I can do well." She mumbled, keeping her gaze down at Chewy.

---

|
Gladhron | Gwestion

"Do you really know me so poorly?" Gwestion asked as soon as they had moved beyond earshot. "Gladhron," he went on before his brother could voice the question that was obvious in his glance, "I've already done a bit of investigating concerning Brooke's character, and I am satisfied that she seems genuine, and has no ill intentions. Quite the opposite, if anything."

"But Emma told us-"

"That was years ago, and furthermore, I don't think that Emma knew very much, if anything, about this girl," Gwestion countered. "Listen," He sighed. "I met her this morning, and I overheard some bit of conversation she had with the elf who runs the blacksmith stall here. What I heard was pretty good. I even decided to help her by paying the smith for her repairs," He explained, then added before Gladhron could protest, "It was only a copper, but she didn't have it, so I gave it to her." He shrugged. "Then, I made a few more inquiries out of curiosity." He explained. "Furthermore, I met her again later, when we had split up to search for information. I spoke with her a little more lengthily, then." He paused. "I'm not saying we should trust her entirely with our business, but after speaking with her, and with someone else who spoke well of her, I am convinced that she doesn't deserves distrust, either."

Gladhron gave a slow nod as he heard all of this. "Well, I didn't know any of that," He admitted. "But you also weren't the one who suffered because of that... because of Amber." He altered what he had been going to call her.

Gwestion let out a slow sigh. "No. I was not, and I am sorry that you had to be confronted by her once again. I didn't realize that was her, until you reacted as you did to hearing she was Brooke's stepsister. I hope seeing her again wasn't too upsetting for you." He paused and faced Gladhron. "But.. you must also remember that she is Brooke's stepsister, not a proper relative.. but even if she was, that doesn't automatically make them the same, regardless of what Emma may have said." He sighed. "I have gotten the impression from Brooke that she detests Amber even more than you do." He mentioned. "In fact, to be honest," he hesitated before admitting something further, "I think she might be afraid.. maybe even seeking protection, though I'm not quite sure." He frowned, unsure quite how to explain why he thought this.

Gladhron frowned at this news, quietly thinking over it as they approached the doughnut place. "Afraid of Amber?" He asked as they picked out some doughnuts, thinking of how the older had used the younger as a shield between herself and the dog.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps, or perhaps someone else. I'm still trying to figure that out." Gwestion shrugged, waiting while his brother selected enough doughnuts to make up a dozen. He frowned. "Do you really think we'll need that many?" He asked quietly.

"Why not?" Gladhron shrugged. "This way we get some, too." He flashed a grin before continuing his selections.

They left with a box containing a dozen. "So, be nice to her, alright?" Gwestion asked. "I am trying to find out whether she needs help or if I'm misreading something, but she seems.. very timid and nervous. I'd rather you did not frighten her further."

"Sorry, I just.. heard she was related to that.. you know. And.. yeah." He shrugged and didn't finish that thought.

"I know," Gwestion recalled all too well. "Please, just keep in mind what I've told you?"

"I will." Gladhron nodded. "Maybe Celume will have found out something useful?" He mentioned, hoping. "Let's also hope we won't need to give all of these to that Maple's fellow for him to let us look at the records," He grinned slightly as they neared Celume and Brooke.

---

@Pele Alarion

Healer Serenity "Seri" Moss
Seri's cabin in the Chetwood forest
Springtime

Seri smiled to herself, watching Aislin as they walked. She was so full of energy and excitement, it was very nice to see. When she returned and asked, with such wide eyes, how her dog could manage this, Seri tried not to laugh. "Watch," She said, then stepped aside to pick a sprig of meadowsweet growing nearby. She went over to Hwinia and held it out for her to sniff. "Hwinia, find." She ordered.

The dog took a moment to sniff the plant carefully, then galloped off deeper into the forest, her nose seeking the correct smell. A few moments later, she barked once. Seri smiled at Aislin. "Let's see what she's found." She followed the sound of the bark, and soon found the standing very still in 'point' position, with her nose pointing down at a cluster of meadowsweet, her tail stiffly pointed out behind her, one paw held up slightly.

"Good girl," Seri smiled and petted her, then grinned as Hwinia happily bounced around in circles, thrilled to have been helpful. "See, I believe she must be some breed of hunting dog," Seri explained. "I've adapted her training to use her natural instinct to hunt, and taught her to 'hunt' down the herbs that I can use." She explained.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
Bree

"Quite a secret," she acknowledged, smiling at Chewy before looking back at Brooke. "Where does he stay when you are in the house?" She felt like she was getting into personal territory, but her instincts told her that something might be wrong here. It didn't sound like a healthy home situation, at the very least..."Claire is your stepmother?"

Her instincts seemed to be confirmed by the way Brooke continued. Obviously her stepmother and stepsister, or whoever else she might live with, did not think highly of Brooke - if the girl thought there were only "a few things she could do well". That was no way to speak to someone, Celume thought with a frown. Especially kids and teens. They internalized everything.

"That doesn't sound right," she countered. "You can read well, you are obviously great with dogs, you're helpful, you're polite, you're kind. And I've only known you for what, five minutes? I'm sure there are countless other things you are good at, miss Brooke." Celume smiled. "I for one would love for you to come with us to the record hall. I am sure the guys will feel the same."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Brooke | Chewy

Brooke hesitated as Celume asked where Chewy went when she was at home. She had not expected that question, and had to think for a second how to answer it. Her situation was.. not exactly normal, she knew, and she knew that her answer might require a little explanation. "He, um.. he comes in and out of my window," She answered a little tentatively. "So do I, usually," She shrugged slightly and looked away. "I'm always worried he'll start barking, but so far I've been.. well, lucky, I guess." She paused to look thoughtfully down at him. "He also goes off exploring sometimes, so he isn't always there, so that helps, too."

When asked about Claire, she nodded with a small frown, fighting the automatic reaction to make a face. As Celume continued to speak, though, Brooke looked up at her, curious at what she'd said about how there must be 'countless' things she was good at. 'Not really,' Brooke couldn't help thinking, but did not say so. "That's nice of you to say," She informed Celume, though she did not sound very convinced of it, herself. Though, the last comment did bring a little smile. "Really?"

While she spoke with the woman, Brooke's brown gaze scanned around the area, watching just in case a certain person was lurking about. So far, she did not see him, but she did see the brothers returning. "Here they come," She informed her, in case Celume had not yet noticed them returning. Gladhron was carrying a box from the bakery while talking with Gwestion.

---

|
Gladhron | Gwestion

"Well," Gladhron spoke cheerily as he neared the two ladies, "we've got a whole dozen. This ought to be plenty for what we need, and enough left over for us to have some." He smiled. "In fact, maybe we ought to have some now, so that Maples guy doesn't get the whole dozen."

Gwestion considered that, and had been thinking about what sort of plan to use. "If we do have one," he mentioned thoughtfully, "we could make it seem as if we got the doughnuts for ourselves, had one and then brought them in so not to leave them outside, and then 'generously' let the fellow have the rest as a thank you for letting us see the records." He shrugged. "Just a thought." He glanced at Celume, wondering if she had any better suggestions or ideas.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
Bree

Everything about the way this girl spoke, was raising more questions. The way she spoke about Chewy coming in and out of her window, made Celume doubt Brooke even had a window. Perhaps she was reading too much into it all, however. Celume smiled as Brooke looked at her dog so thoughtfully, and the tall blonde crouched down again to pet Chewy. "Aren't you clever," she told him softly. "It's like you can sense what she needs, hmm?"

"Yes, really," she said in response to Brooke's question, tilting her head to look up at her. "Gwestion clearly trusts you enough. And believe me, he's the most difficult one to convince," Celume said with a little grin. She looked over her other shoulder when Brooke said the brothers were returning. After spotting them, Celume returned her attention to Chewy. She was just straightening again when Gwestion and Gladhron came within conversational distance.

"A dozen?" she echoed, surprised. Plenty, indeed. She was still pretty full from the extensive breakfast the bartender had selected for her earlier that morning, but a doughnut was rather tasty. She could probably stand to have one. Especially if they were glazed. Glancing at Brooke as Gwestion presented an idea, Celume frowned lightly. When she caught Gwestion looking at her, Celume sighed. "I am not the one to speak to about such ploys, I'm afraid," she said honestly, with a little smile. Despite her efforts to get them hot chocolate the day before. That had not included any false presentation of reality. Looking down as she realized she was presenting everyone here with a false name, Celume tried to hide the uncomfortable feeling it suddenly gave her, and shrugged uncharacteristically. "But it sounds like it could work."

"Brooke," she said, perking up a little as she spoke the girl's name. "Would you mind having mine as well? I'm still rather full." Her brown eyes looked hopefully at the girl's. Pleased when the girl accepted after Celume offered more reassurance, Celume turned back to the brothers. "So, Brooke's coming with us to the record hall," she informed them cheerily. Something, though, in the way she glanced at Gladhron, this time, told him she wouldn't look kindly on any objections. How bizarre to give the cue to him, instead of Gwestion.

Their visit to the record hall went much better than any of them might have expected. The man in charge was glad for the doughnuts and gave them access without making them jump through any hoops. If fact, Celume was a little surprised by that. It seemed that business like this in Bree involved much less formalities than it did in Minas Tirith.

Celume stayed close to Brooke during their perusals, and upon leaving the place, they had learned enough for the brothers to have a lead on this Halbarad fellow. "Well, that was productive," Celume stated as they walked back out into the street. "What now?" she asked them, smiling faintly.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

| | |
Gladhron | Gwestion | Brooke | Chewy

It was a bit of a surprise to hear Celume say that Gwestion trusted her. Especially, to hear that he was the hardest one to convince. Brooke would have considered herself the hardest to convince, to trust either of them. But then, she had also had a few things to help her conclude that he was not someone who might hurt her. Chewy, of course, was a big help in that. "We talked for a while, earlier," She admitted, shrugging slightly. And, after spotting someone she would much rather avoid, she had stuck closer to the ranger for a while, and then gotten somewhat drawn into his search. "He seems nice. And, there's a couple of people we both know, so that was interesting to find out." She didn't say who those people were. But she figured, if the ranger who had saved her, Aislin, and Clay was a friend of Gwestion and his brother, and if healer Seri was also a friend of theirs, then he must alright.

She went quiet while the rangers spoke of their plans, knowing she was not really part of this, but eager to help in whatever way she could. It wasn't often she got the chance for this sort of thing. At the talk of eating some of the doughnuts, as part of a ploy, she turned her attention down to her dog, feeling slightly out of place. They probably weren't really meaning to include her, and she didn't want to seem like she was expecting anything. Even though she was quite hungry.

Gwestion nodded thoughtfully as Celume declined offering any suggestions of her own. Turning to Gladhron, he motioned for him to open the box. "Ladies first," He insisted, with a subtly glance to his brother to make sure he caught the plural of the word. In fact, while he did feel like that plan was likely to work, at least one factor in him suggesting it was the fact that he was more than half certain that Brooke had not eaten today. Unless she'd had something very early, before he met her at the blacksmith stall, or at some point in between. But given the fact that she'd had no money, he doubted it.

Gladhron wore a cheery smile as he nodded and presented the box to Celume first, then to Brooke. The latter's surprise was noticeable, and she hesitated about taking one. "It's alright, they won't bite." He informed her jokingly. "Go on, really. Unless you want that Maples fellow to get all of them. I dare say he doesn't need all twelve." He grinned.

Brooke was further surprised when Celume asked her to take hers. "But.. I don't want to take one away from you... I mean, unless you really don't want it?" She frowned, hesitant. But when Celume had assured her that she really didn't want it, and that she was too full, Brooke relented. Inwardly, she was glad for something to eat, even if a couple of doughnuts weren't the most healthful option. It was better than nothing, and she smiled slightly in gratitude to them all.

Gladhron merely gave a small nod to Celume in return, knowing that she would not have heard the information that Gwestion had passed on to him. While he still felt a little unsure about the girl, he also felt a little bad for his reaction before. His doughnut was gone in a very short time, and he fought the temptation to sneak another one. Wiping a bit of strawberry jam from his chin and fingers, he sighed with a playfully longing look at the box. "It seems like a shame to give them away," He muttered.

"Maybe Celume should guard the box." Gwestion suggested, raising an eyebrow 'suspiciously'.

"No, I'll behave, I promise." Gladhron grinned, turning himself while holding the box a little away from Gwestion, as if he expected him to try and take it.

"Fine, let's go then." Since they had all finished, even Brooke having finished the second one without taking much time about it, Gwestion nodded to her to lead the way. It was her town, and her lead they were following, so he figured on letting her show them the way to wherever Mr. Maples's office is.


The record hall was a mess of disorganization, everything mostly jumbled together. Mr. Maples was a heavy fellow who loved doughnuts a bit too much, as Brooke had said, and he happily agreed to let them browse the files in return for the remainder of their doughnuts. 'No food allowed past this point anyway,' he had informed them, although it might have simply been a rule he made up on the spot, in the hopes of having the box of goodies left in his care.

After seeing the state of the 'organization', or lack thereof, the four all split up to tackle a different wall of cabinets. Gwestion methodically checked each paper, trying to remain patient and not let the lack of order bug him too much. Gladhron was slightly less thorough, flipping through folders more swiftly, skimming through contents of documents unless something caught his eye that might be important, but most of the time, it turned out to be a false hope.

Brooke's search method was similar to Gwestion's, pulling out every folder, skimming for any mention of the name Harbarad, Forsaken Inn, or Greylake. Until, a few drawers into her search, she caught sight of the names on a marriage certificate as she was putting it back into its folder. She pulled it back out and looked again, double-checking that she'd read it right. She frowned thoughtfully, reading the entire document more carefully. It was a deed*, declaring the sale of the Witchwood cottage to Sullivan and Bryony Spruce. Sold by Dorian Bay. Brooke frowned at the date on it. Clay Dogwood had insisted that the skull he found out there, under the tree not far from that very same cottage, must belong to Dorian Bay. When was it that the elderly landlord had disappeared?

Brooke paused and cast her glance around the room briefly, wondering... How could she find out such information, even if this room were in impeccable order? She considered for a moment before deciding that there was no way she would find anything like that, the room being disorderly as it was. Unless she got really lucky and happened upon something like that by chance. But she did know someone she could ask about it, who'd probably know. She carefully slid the document back into its folder and went on with her search. She slowed down from that point, however, looking more carefully at everything she pulled out of the filing cabinet. She was still looking for anything that might help the rangers, but she was also keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might be useful in helping Clay solve his mystery, too.


Eventually, after some time had passed, they managed to find what they needed. The last known address for Harbarad before the sale of the inn. According to Brooke, who was most familiar with the area and the address systems in these parts, it was likely somewhere way out in the Chetwood forest, at least a couple of day's journey. She was unable to tell them much more, as she had never really ventured very far from Bree.

She wished she could have been more helpful in that regard, but she did nod in agreement with Celume as she declared that it had been 'productive'. In fact, she'd come across another very interesting record, just before the brothers asked her to look at the address. She had a great deal to think about now. As Celume asked 'what now', Brooke couldn't really think of anything more that she could do to assist them. She looked at the brothers uncertainly.

"Well," Gwestion glanced at Celume and Gladhron, then Brooke as she reunited with Chewy, who had not been permitted inside. "It seems that we're going to have to ride out to check whether Harbarad is at this place." He glanced at the others to see if they agreed, before turning to Brooke again. "Obviously, I don't think it would be wise to bring you along with us. There may be some danger, and.. I'm sure you would have people searching for you, then."

Brooke shrugged slightly and wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't comment on that. "I can't ride, anyway," She agreed softly. "It's alright. Thank you for letting me help, even if I wasn't all that helpful." She looked down and shrugged.

"If not for your help, we may not have been permitted to look through the files." Gwestion pointed out.

"And we wouldn't have gotten any doughnuts." Gladhron grinned. "Although," He glanced around. "I don't know how much time passed while we were in there, but maybe we should have some dinner before we go riding off into unknown regions? I mean.. who knows whether we'll be able to find food while we're in there."

Rolling his eyes at his brother's overdramatic concerns, Gwestion glanced up at the sky. "We might as well." He paused, thinking about a plan. "Why don't we restock our supplies, get something to eat.. all of us," He added so as to include Brooke and even Chewy, "and plan on setting out within.. two or three hours?" He glanced at Celume in case she would prefer to take more time, or if she preferred a different plan.



*(referring to things mentioned in this post of Ercassie's)

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen
Aislin
Chetwood forest with Seri

Aislin watched with interest as Hwinia acquainted herself with a sprig of meadowsweet and then set off in search of more. "Oh... that is how it is done," she said quietly, mostly to herself, and then looked up at Seri with a smile, setting off after her to see what the dog had found.

"She is indeed very smart!" the girl acknowledged when they came upon the sight of Hwinia showing them where they should gather more meadowsweet. While the dog bounced around happily at recognition for the job well done, Aislin reached out to pick one cluster of the herb. She let the soft fluffy blossoms tickle her nose, as she closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet scent. For a few moment she was silent in her enjoyment, and then looked at Seri.

"Do we gather them or not now?" They were headed away from home, after all, and would have to carry the tea with them. She decided she would keep at least the sprig she had in hand to enjoy its scent now and then as they went.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
Bree

They had all agreed on preparation and dinner first, and setting out after that. It would be dinner on the earlier side, but it seemed that Gwestion and Celume were of a like mind concerning Brooke's situation, and Gladhron was simply quite willing to fill up his stomach before setting out. Partly surprised that the brothers didn't disagree about setting out that very same day, Celume thought it wiser not to bring up the matter at all. Besides, she did not mind camping out in the woods.

After the four of them and Chewy shared a dinner in the Prancing Pony, it quickly became obvious Gwestion wanted to make sure they were parting from Brooke without just leaving her to her own devices. Appreciating this about him, Celume gladly joined the brothers and Brooke on the way to where a friend of Brooke's (or so she assumed) lived. After making sure she was well received, the three rangers set out toward the last known address of this Halbarad.

They used the light to their fullest advantage, only stopping when they could still use the last of it to make camp. After the horses were settled in, it was still a bit too early for sleep, however. Celume went to her saddle bags and retrieved a small box before returning to sit with the brothers. "I don't know about you two," she said cheerfully. "But I wouldn't mind a bit of a distraction." They were well hidden at their chosen campsite, and someone would actually have to stumble right onto them to find them.

Smiling, she held up the little box with one hand and rattled it. "Cards?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion

Feeling some nagging sense that there was something or someone frightening Brooke, Gwestion had not felt quite comfortable simply leaving without being sure that she would be safe. As it turned out, she preferred to go to the cobbler's shop, rather than going home, with the reason that she wanted to see a friend, the cobbler's son, Clay Dogwood. Gwestion made sure to remember the name, in case he needed to recall it at some later time. Leaving her there didn't give him any answers as to what was troubling her, but Gwestion figured, if she didn't wish to tell them, it was her right. And so long as she felt safe enough to be left there, he didn't press the matter.

After seeing Brooke and her dog safely to the shop, they set off into the woods. Gladhron was mostly quiet during all of this, and he did not object to cleaning up his gear and checking out of the inn. While he was a little disappointed to be leaving so soon, he was also, on the other hand, a bit glad. After that encounter with Amber, he had decided maybe he would rather move on, and besides, they were going to have to get used to camping again. And furthermore, he had known from the start that Gwestion didn't intend to stay long. On the plus side, Celume was joining them, and he was quite happy about that.

Eventually, they settled down to make camp once it was a little too dark to keep traveling. Gwestion, in fact, was mildly surprised everyone had been agreeable to the idea of setting out at once, but he was glad. There had already been too much time to pass without any news of Harbarad, and he was almost certain that something was wrong. Why else would a man purchase an inn, tell the sellers that he planned to take over running it immediately, and then not show up? If Bel had not stayed on, then the place would be going into ruin. And it wasn't very far off from that, anyway.

As Celume went to her gear and returned with 'a distraction', a grin spread on Gladhron's face. Cards? He hadn't realized she would have such a thing with her. "Well, I doubt you could get Gwestion to play cards," He answered with a little laugh, "But I'm all for it!" He agreed eagerly.

With a small shake of his head, Gwestion confirmed Gladhron's prediction by turning her down. "Not me, but you two go ahead." Instead, he settled into a spot slightly off to the side of their camp, where he could keep an eye on their surroundings while he went through some of the exercises and stretches that Seri had prescribed for him to do to rebuild the strength in his leg. In fact, he was quite glad for someone else to keep Gladhron occupied with such a game. Occasionally, his brother would beg and plead at him to play until he gave in, but he did not have much interest in card games, and was quite content to leave them to it while he kept out of it.

"See?" Gladhron rolled his eyes, turning to Celume with a smile. "Got anything in mind?"

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Healer Serenity "Seri" Moss
Walking through the Chetwood forest, going to Combe
Springtime

Seri smiled and rubbed around Hwinia's ears. "She is, isn't she?" She agreed, pleased with her dog for having learned something so useful. As Aislin asked whether they should gather any of the meadowsweet, Seri shook her head, straightening from petting her dog. "No, not right now. I only did this as a demonstration, really." She admitted. "We can gather some on the way home, however." She picked up her basket and smiled as she set out on their way.

Before long, they neared the edge of the forest, where it turned into the fields and meadows of Combe. "Careful now," She warned Aislin, glancing around. "There may be honeybees around, gathering pollen. We wouldn't want to disturb them. We shouldn't be anywhere near the hives, but there may be some around in the flowers," She mentioned, just in case the girl might be nervous about the bees. "They shouldn't bother us as long as we don't bother them."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

That Gladhron agreed to play, was hardly a surprise. Despite his words about Gwestion, Celume still gave the younger brother a questioning look, until he declined. At Gladhron's almost triumphant 'see?', it was Celume rolling her eyes at the older brother rather than the youngest. Yet, he did have a point: he knew his brother well.

"That's unfortunate," she told Gwestion honestly. "Not that I want to push, but I'm curious. Do you not like games in general? Or is it simply that you do not care for cards?" Seeing that he was busying himself with what looked like leg exercises, she figured that was as good an excuse as any and offered the younger brother a little smile and nod.

At Gladhron's question, Celume turned to him with a smile, while opening the box and sitting down on the ground. She indicated a spot in front of her. "Ever heard of Never Nervous? I think that one would be right up your alley."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion

Keeping his focus on an exercise moving his ankle around slowly, Gwestion considered the best answer to Celume's question. "I don't care for cards games very much," He replied after a moment. "Most games at all, in fact." He shrugged slightly and returned his gaze to his foot. He had a few simple exercises that he was supposed to do each day, which would supposedly strengthen his muscles back to the way they were before his injury. Even if it felt a little silly, doing them. At least Celume was present, which surely hindered Gladhron from making fun of him for it or something.. if she had not been there, Gwestion suspected his brother would have been teasing him.

Gladhron held back a sigh as Gwestion declared his lack of interest in games. "He used to," he muttered, more to himself, but just audible enough for Celume to hear. He brightened, however, when she asked about a specific game. "Ah, I love that one!" He grinned, pleased that she actually knew it. "I rarely find anyone who knows the game.. at least, that's willing to play," He added with a sidelong glance toward Gwestion. He grinned at Celume as he sat across from her. "It's been a little while, but I think I remember how to play."

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

It was hard not to roll her eyes at Gwestion's comment about not being into most games. Cards, she could understand. To each their own. But most games? She didn't really want to use any words that might remind anyone of Amber, but that seemed like... well, such a waste. Gwestion had a good mind, Celume had found. He would be able to put it to good use in so many games...

"That is... too bad," she finally just said. Thankfully, Gladhron was already sitting down across from her after expressing he did not only know Never Nervous, but actually loved it. Celume grinned back. "Same," she said. "Where I come from, it is more of a game teenagers enjoy. But I love how fast-paced it is, and how agility plays into it. And being able to keep a cool head." She shuffled the desk easily and started dividing up the cards between them, so they could then each prepare their own stacks. "I should note, the game rather plays to my strengths." She gave Gladhron an unapologetic smile.

"Do you want a practice game first?" she asked, slanting her head. "You know. So you don't suffer a painful defeat right off the bat?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion
In the woods

While Gwestion turned his attention away and seemed to ignore the comment, Gladhron shrugged and removed a couple of pebbles and sticks from where he was sitting on the ground, getting more comfortable. "It's really hard to get him to play anything," He whispered, leaning forward to Celume.

Sitting back, he smiled at her comment about it being popular with teenagers. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. My cousins taught it to us when we were teenagers, so.." He shrugged and grinned, then cast a glance toward Gwestion. "And we all enjoyed playing it together, too." He added, plenty loud enough for his brother to overhear. Gwestion stubbornly kept his gaze focused on flexing his foot.

Hearing her reasons for why she liked it, Gladhron smiled with intrigue. "Interesting. I don't know if I ever quite thought about it like that. I enjoy how much fun it is to play." He grinned, then laughed lightly at her question. "Sure! A practice game might be a good idea. It has been a while since I played with anyone." He admitted, without feeling the need to even glance in his brother's direction to point out the reason why. She seemed smart, so she ought to guess why, he figured. "So, you carry a deck of cards around with you all the time? Should I be worried? Are you one of those.. what do they call those people..?"

"Card sharks," Gwestion supplied, glancing over. "I doubt she would have warned you she was good at it, if she was one of those, however."

"You never know." Gladhron shrugged, but smiled at Celume to show he was teasing. "Alright, so a practice game." He picked up his cards.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

Celume shook her head with a little smile. "Leave it," she suggested when he threw another comment Gwestion's way about how they all enjoyed playing it together when they were younger. "It's a two-person game, anyway." Maybe that reasoning would help Gladhron ease up on his brother a bit, now she could play it with him.

"It is definitely also a lot of fun," she agreed with a smile, and nodded when he said it had been a while. "Makes sense," was all she said. When the brothers spoke about card shakes, Celume looked up from the cards and frowned. "A card shark? Don't think I could qualify even if I were to downplay my skill, since I never gamble. Not for money. The occasional bet, or agreement - perhaps. But never for coin." She smiled brightly. "I've never had any intention of going down a slippery slope like that."

The practice game was calm and cordial. Celume didn't rush through her cards and waited to turn over the top card of her middle stack until Gladhron was ready to do the same. Sometimes he was a bit faster, sometimes she was. And if he had any questions or confusion, she was quite willing to help him out. As the practice game progressed, she could tell he was getting back into the swing of it. "Looks like you won't be needing much more practice," she commented, clearly quite pleased. "If you're ready to start a new game, for real this time..." Her smile was hardly innocent. "Just say the word, ranger."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion
In the woods

"Nor do we," Gladhron assured her, smiling as she declared that she never gambled for coin. "It's usually a good way to lose money, from what I hear." He shrugged and grinned, implying he was teasing about that. "You know, I've never even seen a shark, but I hear they're a very dangerous sort of fish in the ocean." He commented, thinking about that. "Not sure why they call people that when they pull those cons."

"Probably because they're equally dangerous, as far as.. being in the business of taking everything you've got." Gwestion pointed out. "Just what I would assume, anyway."

"Sure, probably." Gladhron was more interested in the game now, having mainly meant the question rhetorically anyway. He kept focused on refreshing his memory on how the game was played, but it didn't really take him very long to remember. It had been a few years.. while he could occasionally get Gwestion to agree to a few calmer type games which required more patience and strategy, he enjoyed this one for the way it could end up more chaotic and moved so fast.

"Ready." He grinned, gathering up the cards so they could be re-distributed for a fresh game.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

They both set up their stacks. Celume gave Gladhron a challenging smile, not the broad kind of smile but the more muted and more dangerous-looking one as she made direct eye contact. "You sure about that?" she challenged his statement that he was 'ready', using a lower tone of voice.
One eyebrow lifted slightly. "Go," she said, and then swiftly turned the top card of her middle deck as Gladhron did the same.

And then they were off! Celume played her usual way: not at all showy, meaning she kept the movements of both hands small and light. Any bursts of speed she had, and there were quite a few, didn't really draw much if any attention because of the way she played. She only reacted when one of them had played all their cards and they both moved for the smaller stack. Then her calm and composure went out of the window, and she laughed indiscriminately at the result, both when it was Gladhron who had managed to be faster as well as when it was she. She did end up winning their first and second game, but Gladhron won their third, and she clapped for him. "Ha! Excellent!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Now we have to see if you can even the score!" Her dark eyes twinkled. "Right?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion
In the woods

Gladhron had always enjoyed this game since the moment his cousin Leored taught it to him, mainly because of all the action and fun that it involved. At least, when the other party was not sulky and unwilling to enjoy the game. Therefore, the games flew by swiftly as they each deposited their cards as swiftly as they could. Like Celume, Gladhron laughed merrily at the conclusion of the games even when she was the winner. And, when he at last won the third game, it was all the more thrilling. Because winning was naturally more fun than losing, right?

As they got a bit more noisy, Gwestion glanced over, hesitant to speak up and seem like a killjoy, but.. well, there could be bandits lurking, right? After having to glance over a third time, as Gladhron got a bit loud in expressing his surprise and delight at winning the third round, Gwestion frowned. "Shh," He shushed softly, as a reminder. "Could be bandits anywhere in these woods, remember?" He mentioned quietly.

Rolling his eyes, Gladhron nodded. "Yeah, yeah." He grumbled, but remained smiling. "Right! Gotta see if I can even the score!" he agreed with Celume with a laugh, though he did keep his words a bit more hushed, to satisfy Gwestion. "Let's go." He was eager to see if he had merely gotten lucky or if he was improving his skill at the game. He hoped for the latter, but as they went through the next game, he began to think it might have been the former.

"By the way," Gwestion spoke up, glancing over again. "When we all split up earlier, in town," He paused, then continued, "did either of you happen to speak to the tanner?"

"The tanner? Sure." Gladhron nodded while keeping his attention on the game. "He didn't know anything about anyone named Harbarad. Why?"

"Ah.. just making sure he didn't get overlooked." Gwestion answered. "I was about to go over to ask him about the man, when Brooke suggested going into a nearby shop first, to speak to the people in there." He watched their game as he spoke. "When we came out, the tanner had moved to somewhere else, and I didn't see him again."

"Probably for the best. He wasn't the most pleasant fellow." Gladhron declared, slightly absently as he focused most of his attention on getting rid of his cards. He lost that game, but then he won the next one. He was really feeling like he was getting back into the swing of it now, but after losing the third game, he found he didn't really mind so much if he won or lost. "You are better than I, I must admit, although I think I'm getting better." He grinned. "Shall we play another round?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

"We can go for as long as it takes for me to bury you," she said lightly, shuffling the cards and dividing them up between the two of them for their sixth game. After flashing him a little grin, they started on the sixth game. They were a bit more quiet again now, after Gwestion's warning, but when the game was nearly done and Celume saw Gladhron moving for the empty spot on the grass, she rushed to hit it first but came in just a tad too slowly, instead stubbing her fingertips on Gladhron's hand. "Aww!" she laughed quietly, shaking her fingers as well as her head before inspecting her nails with no small amount of animation on her face. She showed Gladhron her index finger. "Broken," she announced, obviously not referring to the finger, but rather the nails.

"Two to four," she seemlessly continued, patting the same index finger to her chin as she surveyed the cards between them. "We will need a few more games to determine which one of us has the nerves of steel, here..." Since Gladhron was certainly not opposed, she gestured for him to deal the cards this time.

Three more games later, she was the clear winner, with seven games won as opposed to Gladhron's two.

She reached over the cards to put a sympathetic hand on Gladhron's shoulder. "Better luck next time, friend," she announced, before gathering the cards and putting them back into their little box. Stretching her neck and rolling back her shoulders, she rose to her feet to return the cards to one of her saddlebags, then meandered back on over to the two brothers. Curiously, she looked between the two of them. "Do you really never play anything together on evenings like these?" she questioned, then looked at Gwestion. "Is there any other game you enjoy? There has to be something?" she inquired, though careful not to use a judgmental tone. She was merely genuinely curious.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion
In the woods

"Ow," Gladhron laughed lightly, checking his hand where her fingernail had jabbed it. It was fine, however. He looked up as she showed him the damage to her nail. "Sorry," He told her, apologetic that her fingernail got broken, but then grinned teasingly. "Do you need to sit out the next game to deal with your injury?" He asked teasingly, as if she were so dainty and fragile that a broken nail was some great tragedy. As they continued playing, however, his luck seemed to have run out as he lost game after game, from that point on. "I think that was all part of a devious plan to stab me and make all my luck leak out." He teased, obviously joking since such a thing wasn't really possible.

While he was just enjoying the game and the fact he had someone willing to play it with him, it did begin to get a bit frustrating that he was no longer winning as much. Therefore, he had no protest when she packed up her cards, for it seemed he didn't have much chance at flipping the win/lose ratio around, by this point. "That was fun!" He declared, grinning as he stretched his arms and resituated.

"Not really," Gwestion answered quietly. He had finished with his leg exercises and was sitting quietly while they played, though keeping an eye out around them, watchful of anyone approaching.

Her question brought a small eyeroll from Gladhron. "He's more into quiet, slow, thinking kind of games. Like chess," He explained. "Which I find very boring." He admitted. He went to lean back against a tree he knew was behind him, but misjudged how far behind him it was, and fell back to the grass in surprise. Slightly embarrassed, he sat up and glanced behind him. "Oh.. that was further back than I thought.." He mumbled, then scooted back to put his back to the tree.

Gwestion bit his lip and looked down in an effort to refrain from laughing. It was rather comical. "Yes, Gladhron prefers to avoid any excessive thinking." He explained dryly, with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"Oh hush," Gladhron grumbled, trying not to look embarrassed as he folded his arms.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

Still standing, she looked between the two brothers during their exchange. It was difficult to imagine that all they did together after making camp was... talk? No wonder they were like this. They needed to have more fun together. After all her years in the rangers, she knew that having a good time regularly was quintessential when you spent a lot of time together. But perhaps she was making the wrong assumption, and they had other ways of laughing together.

She was about to comment on what Gladhron had dubbed 'quiet, slow, thinking games' - and what he had called 'boring games' - when he miscalculated the location of a tree and tumbled back. Celume closed her mouth again after being about to speak, pressing her lips together to hold back a grin at his mistake as he resituated himself. At Gwestion's comment, Celume hummed thoughtfully, but she did not comment on Gladhron's little tumble, figuring it might be best not to give it too much attention.

"I appreciate a good thinking game, as well, actually," she offered instead. "I used to play chess all the time growing up. A little less for the past decade, though. I do not often find someone willing to play," she noted, glancing at Gladhron since he was a prime example. Celume slanted her head, looking back at Gwestion. "You enjoy it?"

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion
In the woods

Gwestion glanced up at Celume as she mentioned that she also enjoyed Chess. That was unusual. He rarely found anyone interested in playing.. although, to be fair, he rarely asked for anyone to play with him. Usually, only when Gladhron wouldn't stop bugging him about playing a game with him, and then he would suggest that. Then they usually ended up resorting to checkers, instead. He nodded slightly. "I do." He answered, intrigued that this new friend of theirs liked playing the sort of games that they both enjoyed.

"You two should play then." Gladhron commented, curious to see whether Celume would prove better at it than Gwestion, or vice versa. "It's too dull and complicated for me," He shook his head. On the very, very rare occasions when he gave in and agreed to play, he always had to be reminded which pieces were allowed to move which way, and still often had to be corrected during the course of the game. Then he'd get frustrated by it and ask to switch to the simpler game of checkers. At least with that one, the pieces can all only move one direction. "You should see the chess stuff he made," He told Celume with a grin.

Hesitating slightly, Gwestion glanced at her. "Would you like to?" He did not want to just assume, after all. When she replied in the affirmative, he nodded with a trace of a smile as he rose and went over to his saddlebags, taking out a smallish pouch. From inside, he pulled out a cloth 'board' made from small squares of fabric that might have once been part of some old clothing, sewn together. On one side, the squares were white and black. On the other side, the squares were red and black.. all in all, it was like a very small quilt without any padding between the layers. One side could be used as a chess board, while the other was a checkers board.

"Do you prefer white or black?" He asked Celume as he spread the cloth out, black and white side up. He poured out the rest of the pouch's contents off to the side of the board and glanced at her, waiting for her answer before he began to arrange the pieces accordingly. The river pebbles had been very carefully chosen, black stones and white stones, painted with the corresponding chess pieces. Knight, rook, pawn, and so forth. The white ones also had red paint covering the bottoms of them, so that they could also double as checkers pieces.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She smiled at Gladhron when he said she and Gwestion should play. "It does not have to be dull," she said softly - not if the players did not take too long to make their moves. Surprised that Gwestion apparently made chess stuff - and more than that, travelled with it, Celume's eyes widened slightly at Gladhron's grin. "You have it with you?" Her tone betrayed her excitement, and the 'of course' slipped easily from her lips when Gwestion asked if she wanted to play.

Smiling at the clever travel version of the game, she waited for Gwestion to choose a location for them to play and then watched as he arranged the pieces. "Well, since we both seem to know what we are doing, we both know that white has an advantage because they can make the opening move," she said, watching GWestion closely for a reaction, to gauge his knowledge of the game further. "Then again, we would also both know the advantage is slight, and the tables on offense and defense can turn throughuot the game. Still, it feels impolite for me to claim white," she stated with a mildly amused smile. "So I will take black." Sitting down on that side of the cloth before he might object, she narrowed her eyes slightly. This was much more a game of intellect and tactics than Never Nervous. The atmosphere would be altogether different. "Do we agree on a limited time span for each move to be made?" she asked. "I used to use a small hourglass, but i do not carry one with me when travelling. If you don't carry one either, I suppose asking Gladhron would be too... boring... for him?" She glanced at the other brother, raising an eyebrow.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion
In the woods

Celume's surprise and evident excitement was a bit of a surprise to Gwestion, and he couldn't help a tiny smile as she said 'of course'. Though, when she asked, 'you have it with you'?, he tilted his head curiously. "Where else would we have it?" He replied, finding it a bit surprising she would ask that. He considered what she had said about how she'd played all the time growing up, yet hadn't found anyone willing to play in nearly a decade. "It sounds as if we have similar experience, as well as a similar time without playing." He commented, figuring that at least made the odds fairer for them each. While it hadn't been a decade, it had been several years for him, with no one to play except for Gladhron, and Bel who tried to learn for his sake, while he was recovering, but she had little practice and was still very beginner level.

Rather than giving a reaction, Gwestion waited patiently while Celume seemed to think out loud, deciding her color. Keeping his own thoughts to himself, concerning which he considered more advantageous, he gave a small nod when she finally selected black. He laid out the black pieces as they ought to go, then did the white ones before sitting back, and glanced at her curiously when she suggested a set time. "I've never purposely set a time limit," He mentioned thoughtfully, then glanced at Gladhron when she did, then back to her. "Though, I can assure you he will let us know when we've taken too long to move for his liking," He added with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

Gladhron got comfortable as he prepared to watch. "Is this going to take all night?" He wondered, glancing up at the dusky sky. "I'm a little hungry. Lunch was hours ago, you know."

"You could make us all sandwiches while we're playing?" Gwestion suggested, since they'd gotten plenty of supplies to bring along, which didn't require cooking. He started off the game and watched to see what she would do, somewhat eager for an actual challenge for once, if she was as good at this game as her words would suggest.

Already a bit bored of watching them begin the game, Gladhron got up and went to see what he could find to eat.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She moved her first piece shortly after Gwestion had made his opening move. Both Celume and Gwestion played in silence, sometimes making their moves a bit faster and sometimes a bit slower. As the game progressed, Celume got a feel for Gwestion's skill level, and she had to admit she was impressed. She shot him a thoughtful glance more than once, a few times when he was considering his next move, and a few times after he had just made it. When she noticed the occasional glance in return, she looked back with a focused gaze, and sometimes a hint of a smile. As far as she could assess the situation, they seemed to be rather evenly matched.

After one of his moves, though, Celume frowned at the 'board'. Something had changed. She glanced at Gwestion and found him already looking at her. Her frown deepened as she looked back at the board. Someone interjected from the sidelines as time stretched on without her making a move in return. Celume drew in a deep breath, then shook her head as she let it back out. She knew Gwestion had just turned the game into his favour. And it would be very difficult to try and make her way out of it. She moved her chosen piece and without looking, took one of the sandwiches Gladhron had brought over. "Thanks," she mumbled, shooting Gladhron a small smile. "I'd be more enthusiastic, but I think I just lost the game," she declared regretfully.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion
In the woods

One reason why Gladhron was not enthusiastic about playing chess was because it required silence and focus, and Gwestion did not do a lot of talking during the game, which meant Gladhron often got shushed. He returned from their supplies bearing three sandwiches, and sat down with the other two, cross-legged. He placed one sandwich on his knee that was closest to Gwestion, and the other on the knee closest to Celume, figuring they wouldn't want them until after their game had ended.

Throughout the game, Gwestion had remained thoughtful, quietly assessing Celume with each move she made, though his gaze switched from her to the board often enough not to be seem as if he were staring at her. He was trying to get a feel for her style of playing as well as her skill level. He, too, was impressed. He had not had a chance to play the game properly in far too long, so it was quite enjoyable to have a challenging opponent for a chance. She was focused, planning her moves ahead, and didn't have to take forever to decide on each move.

As the game wore on, he hoped she would fall into a trap he had set early into it. While he seemed to give his attention to the pieces on another part of the board, he was biding his time until she made just the right move. And then he sprang his trap, moving the piece that had been lying in wait, seemingly forgotten off to one side. After making his move, he brought his gaze up to her, watching for her reaction. Would she realize what just happened?

Gladhron only been sitting there for a little while, and already the suspense of waiting for one of them to move was killing him. Whose turn was it, even? He sighed. Watching them both stare at the board was duller than watching grass grow. "Would someone make a move already?" He asked, before taking a bite of his sandwich.

When Celume finally moved one of her pieces, he was glad to see something happening, at least. But, hearing her comment as she took the sandwich that he'd meant for her, he tilted his head and glanced at the board, finding the comment puzzling. "Well, looks like you still have your major pieces..?" He mentioned, not quite understanding how she could've lost when she still had both king and queen and, it looked like, plenty of the more important ones.

It seemed she did know. Gwestion sat back and nodded to her as she recognized that she thought she'd lost the game. While he wasn't one to gloat, he couldn't help feeling a bit satisfied that his plan had worked, given the skill level she seemed to possess. Of course, if she was as good as he suspected, she wouldn't fall for it again. He'd have to change his tactic next time.. if she was willing to play another game.

Reaching to take the sandwich Gladhron had set aside for him, Gwestion kept his gaze on Celume. "You're very good. It's nice to have a challenge, for a change." He commented. "Would you care for another game?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She nodded slowly at Gwestion's comment, eying him thoughtfully. He was being genuine with the compliment it seemed, even though she had lost. Not the result she had expected, truth be told. Even though she didn't like to admit it, it had delivered a slight bruise to her ego. Holding back a sigh at herself, instead she took another bite of the sandwich. When Gwestion asked if she would like another game, she raised her eyebrows slightly and swallowed her bite. "I would," she agreed, not hiding her surprise at his offer nor her pleasure at accepting it. "The same approach will not work a second time," she warned him, however, with a little smirk. She was feeling a bit better already.

Leaning forward, as if they were both in some sort of conspiracy., she added: "It might put your brother to sleep, though." Her brown eyes flicked sideways to smile at Gladhron, before focusing once again on her opponent. She was nothing if not goal-oriented. They switched around black and white, as was the custom, and so she was the one to open the game this time. Instead of going on the offensive immediately and instead of trying to invade his half of the board, she instead moved to control the center of the board in a roundabout way, so Gwestion would perhaps not notice. Throwing in the necessary diversions, such as sacrificing a non-important piece, a fork that attacked two of Gwestion's pieces at once, and several other tactics, Celume managed to reach her objective. When she did, though, she was sure not to let it show. Now, her game could really begin...

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

|
Gladhron | Gwestion
In the woods

As Celume warned him that the same approach would not work again, Gwestion dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. "I thought not," He assured her. And in fact, he would hope it would not. He then listened to what she "whispered". He glanced briefly toward Gladhron, who already looked ready to sigh in boredom at the fact they had decided to play again. He looked back at her. "I suspect you're right.. and I'm sure it won't be long." He agreed with a little hint of amusement.

Gladhron did sigh, then. "How many games are you going to play?" He wondered.

"Well, you had nine games of never nervous," Gwestion pointed out, with a straight face. "It seems only fair there should be the same number of chess games, don't you agree?" He asked Celume, as if entirely serious.

"Nine!" Gladhron shook his head. "I'll never see what you enjoy about that game." He grumbled. "Whatever.. enjoy. I think I'll get some sleep." He declared, thinking that seemed like a good idea.

"Suit yourself." Gwestion replied, while the chessboard was being reset.

"Oh.. which watches do we each want to take?" Gladhron asked. "I figure one of you ought to take the first, since you're apparently going to be up late anyway."

Gwestion nodded, then glanced at Celume. "I can take the first, if you prefer the last?" He offered. "Gladhron could take the middle, since he'll be plenty rested by then." He pointed out. While he personally preferred the last, so he could be up for the morning and begin making breakfast, he also was fairly sure Celume preferred the morning shift as well.

Once it seemed they were all in agreement with the plan, Gladhron nodded. "Good night then." He went and gathered his bedroll, spoke softly with his horse for a moment, then prepared for sleep. It wasn't very long before he was snoring softly.

Gwestion, meanwhile, had begun focusing on the game. He noticed that she had changed her approach a bit, but found it slightly difficult to follow the intent of her end game while also attempting his own strategy. By the time he caught on to what she had been planning, he realized he had gotten into a bit of a jam. Pausing before making the move he had been about to make, he frowned slightly as he set his piece back down and reassessed the board, eyes quickly scanning the playing field, to figure out what he could do to save himself. And he realized rather quickly that almost any move he made, she was going to close in on him.

Sitting back in mild surprise, he let out a soft breath that almost seemed like a laugh, and shook his head slightly. A small smile tugged at one side of his lips. He took an extra moment to double-check that there was no way out, then glanced up at her. "No one has defeated me.. since my father died." He informed her quietly. "It's nice to have found someone to pose a challenge to me, after so many years. Thank you." He held out a hand to her to shake. "Good game. How about another?"

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She didn't hide a little smile when Gwestion replied he was certain it wouldn't take long for Gladhron to go to sleep now. The small smile grew minutely when Gwestion claimed they'd be playing nine games of chess. Which was of course ludicrous. If they did that, the night might almost be over. A game of chess took a whole lot longer than a game of never nervous, after all. Even a quick game did. "Sure," was all she said, however. Which quickly prompted a grumble from the older brother, and the expected result soon presented itself. Celume pressed her lips together in order not to chuckle.

She nodded at the questions about dividing up watches. "Last is fine with me," she said, though she would not have objected to any other watch, either. After the inn, she was well rested. And even if that hadn't been the case, she was used to short nights. "Goodnight, Gladhron." She noted he took the time to go speak to Gaeroch, and she was smiling as she turned back to Gwestion and the game.

After her gambit had played out, and as Gwestion let out a huff of a breath, Celume leaned forward slightly instead of sitting back. Had he noticed? She was eager to find out if he had. She almost fell over when she saw that small half-smile playing over his face. He was smiling?! Sort of - but still?
Her lips parted in mutual surprise at his words, but her own face soon mirrored his little half-smile. She nodded, in silence. When he held out his hand, she reached out to shake it slowly. "You too. Both times." After a brief hesitation and a slow intake of breath, she nodded at his suggestion for another game. "I could say the same," she said quietly. "About my father. And the challenge. So. I'd gladly take you up on that offer." After a pause, she added: "Never Nervous is good fun, but... a good game of chess against a skilled opponent..." She lifted one shoulder and looked down at the board, starting to reset the pieces, so Gwestion would be playing white again. "The cards don't quite compare."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gwestion
In the woods

It was a bit of a surprise to hear that she, too, had lost her father. And interesting that he had, by the sound of it, been an exceptional chess player. Probably where she'd learned the game from. He gave a small nod of understanding, but didn't comment further, as it seemed to him that neither of them wished to discuss that topic any deeper. Instead, he helped reset the board so that they could start again, after a quiet 'thank you' for her returning the compliment.

Her comment about the cards not comparing.. he offered a faint smile in reply to that. "I agree." That was one of the reasons he had no interest in card games, although he had others as well. The next game ended up being her victory, but the game after that, he won. And the next after that. They were in the middle of another game when Gwestion noticed a nearby bird chirping. He glanced up and around, surprised to realize that, while it was still dark, the night was much further gone than he had realized. It was nearly time for the last watch! They'd completely missed the middle watch, leaving Gladhron to sleep through it.

Also, he was a little embarrassed by the fact that they had not been watching around them as closely as they ought to have. Although, he consoled himself with the thought that their horses would have alerted them if anything was amiss, surely. "...It seems we've somehow lost a few hours." He mentioned, surprised by this. "I guess Gladhron will actually be taking the last watch." He added with mild amusement. "We'd better get some sleep.. but after we know the winner of this game." He made clear that he would not be going anywhere until the game concluded.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She was grateful he seemed to share her reluctance to delve into the subject of fathers. It went both ways, she supposed, but the silence on the matter was comfortable instead of awkward, and she smiled faintly as Gwestion reset the board. Another smile in reponse to her statement that cards did not compare. Her own smile grew a little.

As they went through more games, it was easy to get caught up in the quiet enjoyment of it all. They were on their sixth game already, when Gwestion commentedthat the night had progressed further than what had been their original intent. Celume smiled at his amused comment, and her smile grew as his words indicated he did still want to finish this game. "Obviously," she commented on the latter. She had to win this one to even the score, after all. And her competitive side would not look kindly on abandoning the game now. Moving a piece that didn't seem to make much of a difference yet, Celume glanced up at Gwestion. "We would have noticed if anything was amiss," she said, guessing at what might be bothering him about them playing instead of simply looking around. "We were quiet. There were two of us. We would have heard." She sounded confident and included Gwestion in her assessment, even though she did not fully grasp the brothers' skills in this regard.

Her next move seemed unrelated to her previous one. "Gladhron would be devastated, though, if he finds out he wasn't awake to see you playing a game instead of being your responsible self," she said quietly. Tilting her head, she waited for his move and then made another of her own. "It might be better if he is... unaware." One move later, she had him in a pin. "Just like you were," she teased, referring to the game. "Check mate, Gwes." This was the first time she'd abbreviated his name, but it was out before she well and good realized it, and she didn't dwell on it either. It just seemed to fit.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gwestion
In the woods

The fact that they were agreed on finishing the game was satisfying. Gwestion thought back briefly to what she had said, that first night they arrived in the Prancing Pony, about him being similar to her. He was seeing that more and more, the longer time they spent with her.

Despite her assurance that they would have heard if anything was off, he couldn't help glancing around now that it had come to his attention that they had neglected to pay attention during the first two watches of the night. "Our horses would've alerted us, too." He added. When she made a comment about how devastated Gladhron would be, to have missed this, he was tempted to roll his eyes, but refrained and shook his head slightly. Just as he was about to comment that, again, he agreed with her; that it would be best to not let Gladhron know, because he would surely be relentless with his teasing.. her next comment caught him off guard slightly.

Gwestion blinked as he brought his gaze back to the chessboard, and stared at what she had done. He frowned, somewhat annoyed at himself for having let himself get distracted. Also.. the fact she just called him Gwes. He wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Did it bother him enough to comment on it, or could he ignore it? He debated for a few seconds. Regardless, the frown faded quickly and he gave a nod. "Good strategy, but don't expect it to work again." He warned her, deciding to let the 'Gwes' thing slide.

He stretched his arms up and then back, then began gathering up the pebbles and put them back in their pouch. "As you were the winner of the last round, I'll clear up and wake Gladhron for his shift, if you want to go on and lie down for sleep." He told her quietly. "Perhaps, we can prevent him from knowing we spent most the night engrossed in our game." He suggested with a tiny smile.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She held back a grin as he stared at the board and frowned. For all she knew, it was all in response to the game. When he said not to expect it to work again, though, she did grin. "I wouldn't dream of it," she assured him, amusedly but genuinely. He had not underestimated her, earlier. She would repay that respect.

Upon his suggestion, she rose to her feet but shook her head. "Afraid that won't work," she began. "You were going to take the first shift. I was going to take the last one. If you are the one to wake him for the last shift, he'll know you stayed up the whole time," she pointed out. "Since I don't believe you are likely to change your mind about shifts after an agreement was struck? And surely he will realize that it is much later than we orginally intended. If we want to keep our exorbitant chess time between us, it'll be more believable if I wake him." Not that she was planning on lying, exactly.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gwestion
In the woods

"Ah, yes. You're right." He nodded, standing after gathering up his chess game. "And yes, he will notice the difference in time. Just tell him you decided he needed more sleep and swapped shifts with him, perhaps." He suggested, figuring that would be an accepting excuse as far as Gladhron was concerned. "Good night.. what's left of it." He said quietly to her.

He went to put his game away in his saddlebags and do a few things before going to bed. After that, and spending a few moments with Mael, softly thanking her for keeping watch while he wasn't, Gwestion grabbed his bedroll and found a spot to sleep. It took him a few minutes to fall asleep, as his mind was caught up in reviewing some of the moves during their game, particularly the ones he'd lost, thinking about what he could have done differently. After a little while, he managed to clear his mind and doze off.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She nodded slowly to Gwestion's suggestion, even though she wasn't planning on following it. It could be a fine line about what she found acceptable - to her, it was everyone's prerogative to hide things, but she did have trouble with outright lies. The line was different for everyone, and she knew she was more of a stickler on the issue than most (as her brother had stipulated many times over), but she would think a bit about how to explain the hour to Gladhron rather than lie outright.

"Good night," she told Gwestion. While Gwestion was with Mael, she briefly disappeared into the trees. Upon her return, she gathered what was still lying around of her things, gathered what she'd need for the night and bid her horse goodnight as well. Once Gwestion had settled down for the night, and appeared to be sleeping, she approached Gladhron and crouched down next to him. "Gladhron," she spoke quietly, keeping her touch light as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Gladhron. Time for your watch," she said, just above a whisper. If necessary, she'd repeat the words and gently squeeze his shoulder in order to wake him.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
In the woods

His eyes flickered open as he heard his name and felt a light touch. Seeing Celume, he rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times. "Huh?" He propped up on his elbows and glanced around, trying to think what seemed off. Then it dawned on him. "Wait, shouldn't Gwestion be the one waking me?" He wondered, a little puzzled by this. He glanced toward Gwestion, quietly observing that he was lying down as if asleep, but his breathing did not quite seem as slow and deep as it would if he were asleep.

Shifting to a sitting position, he looked around a little more. There was something else a little off, too. He noticed the moon's position seemed much lower in the sky than it ought to be for the middle watch of the night. Obviously, it was later than he ought to have been wakened. But why? Glancing back down at Celume, he maintained a slightly puzzled expression, having decided to wait and see what she would answer about the fact she was waking him instead of his brother.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She smiled faintly, remaining crouched so she could keep her voice low. "Yes, but it's time for third watch," she informed him. "Your watch got switched. I was awake for second watch anyway. It didn't make sense to wake you, too." She tilted her head. "But don't worry, you can have your turn, now. Did you sleep well?"

After waiting for his reply, she rose to move to her own bedroll and settle in. "See you in the morning." It would be rather convenient if he did not ask too many questions. Or any questions, really, she thought to herself with amusement.

When morning came, Celume was still fast asleep. Normally the slightest sounds after daybreak would be enough to wake her, but after spending most of the night playing chess with Gwestion, it seemed like muted sound didn't have its usual effect.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron
In the woods

"Very well," Gladhron answered with a slightly sleepy smile. He stood up and took a moment to stretch, helping him wake up a little more. "Switched, huh?" He glanced at her with slight curiosity, but he assumed she was quite tired, and would not want to answer a lot of questions. He nodded when she bid him goodnight. "Sleep well." He told her softly as she got comfortable in her bedroll.

He glanced toward where she and Gwestion had been playing chess when he went to bed. The grass still looked freshly smashed down in those two spots. With a little smile and shake of his head, he went to take a quiet walk around the perimeter of their dark camp. Since they had not built a fire, there was no need to check on it, or gather more firewood or anything like that. So that was one less thing he had to worry about.

The rest of the night went by incredibly slow and dull, hearing the birds and various creatures waking up, while his companions slept. He tried to be careful not to make too much noise as he went periodically patrolling the perimeter. Most of the time, in between walking around to stretch his legs, he sat with his back to a tree, watching and listening and playing solitaire, using his own cards. After playing a few games with Celume the night before, he'd gotten into the mood to play something.

After running out of moves, he sighed and began gathering his cards to start over when a movement caught his eye. Gladhron glanced up and blinked in surprise to see a deer had just stepped into their clearing. It stopped and looked at him. He looked back. They stared in silence at each other for a long moment. The deer twitched its tail, flicked its ears back and forth, and cautiously stretched its head down to take a bite of grass. Gladhron sat very still. "You're lucky we have plenty of food," He murmured softly. He had his bow near to hand, but there was no need to kill a deer when they'd just restocked their supplies, and it was too warm to properly store the meat anyway. The deer watched him for a moment, then started wandering off in the other direction, warily looking back now and then. Only when it was fully out of sight did he stand up and stretch. He walked around, checked the horses, then went back to start another game. This time, he made sure to glance up more often. Gwestion would never let him live it down if something happened while he wasn't paying attention.

It was fully light out by the time he began wondering if he should wake them up. They clearly did not seem to be waking up on their own, and no wonder. He smirked faintly to himself, guessing they had stayed up late into the night, playing some long, drawn-out game of chess. He decided to wait a little bit longer, at least until he'd completed the game he was currently working on. After getting done with it, he put his cards back in his saddlebags, then walked over to where Gwestion was sleeping. He crouched down, smirking faintly to himself as he leaned down close to his brother's ear. "Check mate," He whispered.

Gwestion stirred, and considered rolling over, but instead, he opened his eyes and glanced up at Gladhron. "What?"

"Nothing." Gladhron smiled and sat back. "Good morning. Ready for breakfast?"

Despite feeling like he had only just closed his eyes, Gwestion made himself sit up, stifling a groan. "Did you make something?"

Gladhron blinked. "Uh. Actually, I was thinking, hoping that you.."

Gwestion stopped him by looking up at him. "Really?" He sighed softly and rubbed his eyes, then shook his head and got up. "Fine." He went over to their supplies and looked to see what they had available, which didn't require cooking.

Meanwhile, Gladhron glanced over to where Celume was sleeping. Thinking how to wake her was a bit more difficult, as he didn't know her as well as his brother. After a moment's thought, he decided to go with the same way she had wakened him.

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen
Aislin
Travelling with Seri

Even though they did not need meadowsweet now, Aislin held unto the sprig she had picked, and eventually secured it into the hair just behind her ear as a decoration.

It did not take that long for them to reach the flowering fields, and at the warning the girl stopped for a while to glance around and see if there were any bees. She did not intend to disturb them in their work, nor did she want to get bitten. Then she hastened to catch up with Seri again.

"Has Hwinia been bitten at some point?" she asked the healer. "When I was smaller, we used to have a dog who got bitten in the nose by a wasp because he would keep chasing it and trying to catch it. His nose grew almost twice!" It seemed to her that Hwinia was a very sensible dog, but even her would have been a very inquisitive puppy at some point, and then all sorts of things could happen. She smiled quietly thinking of her own adventures which sometimes had not ended that well.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

The hand on her shoulder startled her awake. Her eyes popped open, squinting against the sudden invasion of the light, forcing conscious thought to the front of her mind in an instant. It was obviously time to rise, but that didn't mean she was glad for it. Holding back a little sigh, she smiled instead. "Good morning," she bid Gladhron, moving to sit up in her bedroll and look around camp. Gwestion was standing over by the supplies, going through one of the bags. "Too late for exercise before we head out, I'm assuming," she half told, half asked Gladhron with a nod toward his brother. This was a time sensitive issue for Gwestion, after all, and they should reach Harbarad's last known address throughout the course of the day.

She made quick work of repacking her bedroll and other typical morning preparations, among which a quick brushing of her teeth. Since Gwestion was apparently seeing to breakfast and there was little more left to do, Celume undid her braid to run a brush through her long, blonde hair. Afterward, instead of rebraiding it, she tied the front locks together at the back of her head and left it that way.

Really, she could have used more sleep. But this was nothing new. One short night didn't affect her. "Your watch was uneventful?" she checked with Gladhron.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron & Gwestion
In the woods

"Morning." Gladhron smiled back as he moved back to give her room. He glanced around and briefly up at the sun, trying to roughly estimate the time. "You could, I suppose, but it is a little late," He answered. He had thought they would probably like to sleep a bit longer, so he had waited until a little later than usual to wake them both.

Gwestion dug out some bars made of oats, dried fruit, honey, and nuts, shaped into a 'log' and wrapped in paper to keep them from sticking together. In addition, he chose an apple apiece, then came over to the other two, to distribute their breakfasts.

"By the way, who won?" Gladhron wondered as he accepted an apple and a bar from his brother.

Gwestion paused, looking at him questioningly and feeling a little slow due to lack of sleep. It took him a few seconds before realizing he must be referring to the game that Gladhron had not seen the conclusion of. "She did." He answered with a nod to Celume. "So, we're even now." He added, then picked a large leaf from a nearby tulip poplar, and crossed over to where Celume was brushing her hair. He laid the leaf down and put her apple and bar on that so she could get to it when her hands were free. Then he went to sit down and started on his bar.

Gladhron took a moment to swallow the bite he had been working on, before answering Celume's question. "Well, not exactly." He glanced up with a little frown. "We uh, had an intruder a few hours ago. Nothing I couldn't handle though."

"Intruder?" Gwestion frowned, pausing as he'd been about to take a bite. "What happened? Why didn't you wake us?"

"Because, like I told you. I handled it." Gladhron shrugged. "Wouldn't you have been annoyed if I woke you up for something I could handle on my own?"

"Well, yes, but an intruder.." Gwestion frowned. "What did they want?"

"Oh.. just a bit of food."

"I didn't notice any of our supplies missing." Gwestion was mildly surprised.. did that mean Gladhron actually denied the person anything to eat? That was unlike him, which made Gwestion all the more curious about this incident.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She smiled when Gwestion declared that they were 'even', and gave a little nod. "Thanks," she told Gwestion when he deposited her breakfast next to her on a leaf. That was rather considerate of him, and brought a smile to her face yet again.

She was tying part of her hair together when Gladhron spoke of an intruder. Her eyes flicked over to him, assessing his body language, facial expression and tone. Utterly relaxed, besides that little frown. After Gwestion asked multiple questions, Gladhron's response stayed the same. He even shrugged. Shrugged! Celume narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. There was no way Gladhron would do that if the intruder had been unfriendly. And if the intruder had been unfriendly, they would have woken up somehow, anyway. Even with a friendly intruder, and with them being tired, they would have heard something if this intruder spoke with Gladhron at all, wouldn't they? She would have... or should have... After listening to the brothers' exchange, she picked up the bar Gwestion had brought over to her with her left hand. "Hmmmm," she let out, clearly suspicious. "What - was it a squirrel or something?" She took a bite, chewing slowly as she watched the two brothers.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron & Gwestion
In the woods

"Of course it wasn't a squirrel," Gladhron rolled his eyes as if that were absolutely absurd.

"So, you sent this intruder along their way, without letting them take any of our food..." Gwestion still thought that seemed unlike him, but also unlikely that the other person didn't argue or plead or anything. "And yet somehow, neither of us awakened during this exchange."

Gladhron shrugged. "She was very quiet. I was very quiet. She went on her way. It only lasted maybe a minute." He bit his lip. It was growing more difficult not to laugh.

"You're teasing us." Gwestion realized, narrowing his eyes as he noticed a subtle, yet telltale sign of Gladhron trying not to laugh. He folded his arms. "She? What was she? Obviously not a person."

"She was a deer," Gladhron finally admitted, grinning as he began to laugh, then glanced over to see if Celume was amused as well. "Not a squirrel." He shook his head a little in amusement, then nodded toward Gwestion. "I'm surprised you didn't notice the tracks, you had to walk right by them to get to the food bags." He mentioned with amusement.

Shaking his head slightly, Gwestion rolled his eyes and started on his breakfast bar. In between taking bites, he began to work on packing up his things, inwardly annoyed at himself for not having noticed those tracks.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She didn't miss the fact that even though Gladhron denied it was a squirrel, he hadn't said anything about 'it' not being an animal. Intrigued, she watched the older brother carefully while eating the bar. Another casual shrug. Biting down on his lip. It seemed that that caused Gwestion to come to the realization he was teasing. Celume couldn't help the little smile that fought its way forward on her face, nor did she particularly want to hide it. These two could be so amusing. It reminded her of the dynamics between some of the rangers in her division back home. Former division, she reminded herself - and her smile wavered for just a moment.

Gladhron's admission made it return, though, and she had to grin and chuckle lightly when he laughed, for the sound was contagious. She couldn't believe Gwestion wasn't even so much as smiling! Though... yeah. She guessed she could believe it, since she could count every smile she's seen from that man over the past days on exactly one hand. Still grinning, she shook her head when Gladhron evidently couldn't help but mention Gwestion had missed the deer tracks. That wouldn't sit well with the younger brother, she understood, even as her own eyes instantly tried to locate the tracks as well.

Having finished the bar, she drank some water. "I suppose you think you are quite funny?" she asked Gladhron with a grin, before taking a bite from the apple.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron & Gwestion
In the woods

Well, at least Celume thought it was funny. Gladhron grinned at her as she asked him if he thought he was funny. "Well, you're laughing, so I think that proves that I am funny," He pointed out with a little smirk. "Right?" He felt quite pleased with that response, and resumed eating his breakfast with a lingering little smile. After breakfast, he finished packing up his things so they could move on.

It didn't take long before they had packed up their camp and set out. Having not made a fire, there was little to do except to pack up their things. Gwestion was quiet the entire time. He could see why Gladhron would find that amusing, but he didn't really share it, personally. While he knew, logically, that Gladhron was not really intending it to be any sort of jab at Gwestion's capabilities at tracking, the illogical part of him felt that it was. That he wasn't able to notice plain tracks right there under his nose... it troubled him and made him question himself. All thoughts which he would not speak aloud, as he had no wish to make such feelings known to anyone else.

They rode on, through the morning and into the afternoon before nearing the area where they were expecting to find a house or cabin or some sort of residence where Harbarad might be. They came across a thin, faded footpath that seemed to lead in the direction they expected to find it, and stopped to investigate and decide on a plan.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

"Well, you're laughing, so I think that proves that I am funny, Right?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, noting his little smirk, though she grinned again after swallowing the bit of apple. After a pause, she mirrored his lingering smile, looking at him. "I've heard better." The reaction was delivered drily, leaving him to wonder whether she was teasing or not, for he wouldn't be able to tell from her tone. Rising to her feet, she finished half of the apple on the way to Narsule and then fed her stallion the other half.

They traveled to where this Harbarad's residence should be, spending hours in a mostly companionable silence, with Celume and Gladhron having a few conversations along the way and Gwestion sometimes chiming in, though much more rarely. Going off their information, the residence had to be nearby when they encountered a little path. They halted their horses in a kind of silent agreement.

Celume looked at the brothers in turn, forcing herself to wait. This was their show. But when they stayed silent, possibly still going over the options in their minds, she cleared her throat quietly. "If we are possibly expecting trouble, we might want to get our weapons ready?" Her sword, for example, was strapped to Nársulë. Her bow was strapped behind her saddle. Not waiting for their opinion, she freed the bow from behind her with practiced routine and started stringing it. "I can shoot from horseback if need be," she told them. "Nársulë knows to stand perfectly still when I tell him and I don't need to hold the reins." She didn't even have a need to dismount. When the horse was moving though, that was a different story. "You two can go first and I will follow with the bow and an arrow at the ready. Just in case." At the ready - meaning 'in her hands', arrow nocked. "If there is company waiting, it would be an interesting way to shake up our day," she said, but her tone made it impossible to tell whether she was joking or serious. "Alternatively, we could also circle around and approach from an unexpected angle. The bow will still serve me then," she said with a hint of a smile. "But that way we can increase the odds of not being spotted first. And avoid surprises."

The choice seemed rather obvious. Even if the second option would be a waste of time in case there was no one there.

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron & Gwestion
In the woods

Gladhron was very glad to have another person to accompany them, so that he had someone besides Gwestion to talk to and make jokes with, exchange banter with, and all that. And Celume was great. He was delighted to have her coming along with them for this. Otherwise, it would have been very dull. As she declared she'd heard better, he let out a scoff of mock-disbelief. "Suuure you have." He grinned.

The rest of the trip might have only been a pleasant ride in the woods, except for the fact that it was more than that. And Gwestion's quietness frequently reminded him of the fact. Why his brother couldn't just lighten up a bit and enjoy the trip, that was beyond him. He tried to ignore it as much as he could.

Soon, as they came across the path, it was evident that they were on the right track. Gwestion leaned down from the saddle to inspect it for any recent tracks, but Gladhron was more interested in looking ahead, to see where it went. Celume was the one to break the silence.

Gwestion straightened up in the saddle and looked toward her as she spoke with her suggestions. He nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that seems like a good idea," He agreed.

"We could also split up," Gladhron mentioned quietly. "One circle around that way, another circle this way, and another come up the path." He glanced at the other two to see whether they thought this idea any good. "Either way, I agree about readying weapons." He saw that Gwestion was already retrieving his bow, which he'd kept strung. Gladhron debated whether to use his bow or sword. "We're both able to shoot from horseback as well," He added, "Although.. it's not my best skill." He admitted.

Gwestion looked from Celume to Gladhron, hesitating in thought. "I'd like to get an idea what we're going to find here." He mentioned quietly. It there was trouble, he didn't like the idea of anyone going up the path. But, he could also see potential trouble in not sticking to the path. "We have no information about what sort of man this Harbarad is.. except.." He hesitated, exchanging a glance with Gladhron before looking at Celume. "Apparently, he dislikes rangers, so much so that the Greylakes highly approved." He explained quietly. "If this is where he lives.." He wasn't sure quite what to think. Would he be annoyed or angered to have rangers arriving at his house? Could he have traps set to prevent anyone 'sneaking' around the perimeter of his home?

"Ah.. right." Gladhron nodded, remembering that bit of info. "Bel was worried he was going to kick us out when he arrived, despite our injuries." He explained to Celume. "She had the impression we might be in danger if he arrived when she thought he would, and she was determined to stick around in case she needed to defend us from this fellow, since Gwestion, at least, was in no state to defend himself."

"Whatever we do, I suggest we keep that bit of information in mind, and watch out for anything meant to deter.. unwanted visitors." Gwestion concluded quietly, hoping Celume would get what he meant.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

Celume tilted her head. "If anyone is going up the path, it should probably be me," she suggested. "If Harbarad dislikes rangers so much, he might feel less threatened by a woman. Or maybe he won't immediately think I'm a ranger at all. I could just be a lost traveler or something, for all he knows. I might even try not to look too... rangery? Though I guess then the bow won't help." She allowed a little smile at her own words. "So if I do go up the path, maybe I should put my bow back where it was." Not that she liked the idea of not having a weapon at the ready, just in case there was more than just one man who disliked rangers. "I could be a careful traveler," she improved on her own suggestion. "Then the bow should be fine, right?" She wasn't very used to downplaying herself, even if she was hiding her past from the two brothers. It felt different.

"Are you two both skilled in locating traps?" she asked them, picking up on what Gwestion meant without having to really think about it. The context made it quite clear. "Then you could both circle around, as Gwestion said. If we take that approach though, we'll all need to agree on a sign for danger and a different one for safety."

[Rillewen]

@Arnyn

Gladhron & Gwestion
In the woods

"How likely is it, though, that someone who dislikes rangers is going to even know how to set traps?" Gladhron wondered.

"It could be very likely." Gwestion argued. "Just because he doesn't like rangers doesn't mean he has no knowledge of the woods, hunting, or the like. We are not the only ones who learn such things, Gladhron."

"Alright, true." He conceded with a little shrug. As Celume suggested that she be the one to go up the path, he hesitated at the idea. But she did make good points. "I suppose you would appear the least threatening," He agreed.

"You could be a hunter," Gwestion suggested, when she debated about whether to carry her bow or not. "You needn't say what you are hunting.. whether bandits or game for food, it makes no difference there. A hunter would be quite natural to find roaming the woods."

When she asked whether they were skilled at locating traps, Gwestion went quiet, thinking back with some hesitation to the incident in Lond Col, with Gwandhyra, but he didn't know if that really counted, since he had been distracted and not looking.

"We are," Gladhron assured her, unaware of his brother's hesitation. "Our father taught us much about that sort of thing."

Deciding not to argue, Gwestion merely gave a small nod. "What about bird calls, as we did before?" He suggested, about the sign for danger or safety. "We can agree on one sort of bird for safe, and another for danger. But we will all three need to be able to do both."

After they had agreed on what to do for safe, and what for danger, and making sure that all three agreed and remembered which was which.. they set off in their respective directions; Celume down the path, Gladhron to the right, and Gwestion to the left.

As it turned out, there was no need for Celume to come up with an excuse for being there, nor for carrying her weapons. The cabin was abandoned, and showed clear evidence of having been ransacked, probably several months prior. The brothers found nothing to alarm them, and once they had met at the back part of the cabin, they both signalled that it was safe, while listening for a similar signal from Celume.

[Arnyn]

@Rillewen

Celumë
The woods

She held her bow with her left hand, the arrow loosely nocked with her right, on her approach down the path and to the cabin. Despite what she might feel beneath, her shoulders were relaxed as Nársulë walked her up to the residence. It turned out to be a cabin. And it looked absolutely deserted. SHe slowed Nársulë's pace, signalling him with her feet and legs as they walked. Her experience told her it was possible bandits could still be lying in wait. It had happened to her before. But soon, as Celume and her mount were walking along the front of the structure, seeing no one as of yet, two calls reached her ears: safe.

After taking a deep breath and letting it out with a little sigh, she returned the call. Safe. As far as she could tell without actually going inside.

Which led her to slide down her horse and approach the front door. She returned her arrow to the quiver on her back before reaching it, but her bow was still in hand when she stopped in front what was left of it. It clearly had been damaged by force. Reaching behind her, she hooked the peg attached to her bow through a loop on her quiver. Brown eyes surveyed what she could see of the cabin's interior. It did not bode well. The place looked like every piece of furnitire had been turned upside down. One chair was still upright, in a normal position and undamaged. It was almost comical, compared to the state of everything else.

Celume shot a glance around her, as well as surveyed the area around the cabin. She would wait for Gladhron and Gwestion before stepping inside.